UK government plans to set a minimum price for a unit of alcohol mean retailers will have to charge at least 38p for a can of lager, 40p for a litre of cider, £2 for a bottle of wine and £10.71 for a bottle of vodka.
Is it just me, or is that one mighty big joke? Does the government seriously think charging the hefty sum of 40p for a litre of cider will have any impact on the binge-drinking statistics? So how many litres of cider does it take to get most people utterly wasted these days? I haven’t drunk cider for a while, but when I was young it didn’t take that much. Perhaps it’s not as strong these days, I don’t know. But let’s safely assume that you can get ratted on three litres – and all for £1.20 (if you know where to shop, that is).
Setting a minimum price for alcohol is proving controversial, since on the one hand many think the planned measures don’t go far enough while on the other there are cries of human rights infringement (apparently some people are outraged that they’ll have to pay 21p for a unit of alcohol just because others can’t hold their drink – how very socially responsible). But you’ve got to wonder why the government has even bothered, since the minimum pricing it’s suggesting will affect so few (and of course, the few it will affect will be those who will suffer the most as a result).
Read more at MyDaily.co.uk