Our health is worth more than profits

I AM writing in response to Asda's warning that it could sabotage Government plans to crack down on cheap alcohol by building distribution centres in the north of England and selling cut-price drink online to be delivered to people in Scotland ('Supermarkets' border raid on SNP booze ban', June 29).

This development is the latest in a series of actions by the supermarkets which leads us to question their attitude to the retailing of alcohol.

The sale of alcohol is not a simple transaction between the buyer and seller. All of us are affected by our problem drinking culture. The Government's approach recognises that when we talk about selling alcohol we are talking about more than price – we are talking about the nation's health and wellbeing and a positive future for our children. This is about more than Asda's profits.

The evidence that increasing price reduces consumption is clear. At a population level, this approach works. But this isn't the blunt instrument which Scotland on Sunday suggests. The two most price sensitive groups are young people and heavy drinkers – two of the key groups for the Scottish Government's alcohol strategy.

Publicans, producers and some retailers have publicly expressed concern about cheap alcohol, yet one of the supermarkets is once again denying that its retail practices are contributing to the problem. We would wish to have the same mature dialogue with our supermarkets about Scotland's alcohol consumption as we have had with our pubs and clubs, but none of the supermarkets has taken steps to end cheap price promotions voluntarily so the Scottish Government has been left with no option but to use legislation.

The Scottish Government has sparked off a national debate about alcohol. Parliament has already passed a Licensing Act banning price based promotions in pubs and we now have a consultation on the same measures in off-sales. People will express their views over the next three months. We would urge Asda to pay heed to the views of the population and our elected representatives and to comply with the spirit and the letter of the law.

Jack Law, chief executive, Alcohol Focus Scotland, Glasgow

I'M VERY amused by the hypothetical married 18-year-old being denied the right to purchase a bottle of wine to enjoy with dinner. It is an image so far removed from the reality of Scottish drinking culture as to be ludicrous.

I don't know if the Government's proposed plan is the solution to the problem, but can we at least debate it in realistic terms? The reality is that it is not a 'tiny minority' of people who abuse alcohol. It is endemic among our youth and is a much-denied issue for many adult drinkers, hence the numbers of alcohol-related deaths each year.

Surely the Government should be commended for attempting to address this and its imperfect plan improved with constructive criticism from the public, police, health professionals and the alcohol industry.

G Ryan, Perth