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Scots drinkers face 'automatic' alcohol price increases under plan pushed by health experts

Scots drinkers face 'automatic' alcohol price increases under plan pushed by health experts

Daily Record01-05-2025
Scots face "automatic" increases in the cost of alcohol under a plan being pushed by health experts. A coalition of 70 organisations have called on the SNP Government to do more to bring down the number of deaths from drinking in Scotland each year, which have rocketed in the years since lockdown . The group - which includes charities and doctors' organisations - made the demand after figures showed Scotland has seen the highest number of drink-related deaths since 2008. The signatories said the Government must use the year before the next Holyrood election to prioritise early detection and treatment of liver disease, alongside other targeted measures. Among the plans being pushed is an automatic increase in minimum unit pricing (MUP) which would kick-in without MSPs' approval. The flagship SNP policy has so fair failed to bring down deaths from alcohol despite being raised again last year. The initial price was 50p per unit of alcohol - but last year this was hiked to 65p. Campaigners want to "mandate the provision of health-related information, including health warnings, on alcohol products". The letter has been signed by a host of groups, including Alcohol Focus Scotland, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, The Salvation Army, the British Heart Foundation and the Scottish Drugs Forum. They have made a number of calls ahead of the 2025 Programme for Government announcement – which will be the last time First Minister John Swinney will set out his Government's policy priorities before next year's election. As well as expanding early liver disease tests, they have called for nurse-led alcohol care teams to be established in hospitals to provide specialised care to those with alcohol problems. Alcohol detoxification services should also be improved, they said, with a bigger and better range of detox and rehab centres. Alcohol deaths have risen across the UK in recent years, although Scotland continues to have the highest rate. In 2023, 1,277 deaths from conditions wholly caused by alcohol were recorded in Scotland. Dr Alastair MacGilchrist, chairman of signatory Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems, said while the Scottish Government declared alcohol harms to be a public health emergency in 2021, there has not been an emergency response. 'Deaths and illness from alcohol continue to rise but this is not inevitable,' he added. 'If politicians take bold action now we can prevent future harm. 'Alcohol is linked to over 100 illnesses including cancer, heart disease and liver disease. Investment in treatment saves lives – for every £1 spent on treatment there is a £3 return. Alcohol care teams, for example, can lower the number of acute hospital admissions, readmissions, and deaths, along with improving the quality of care for people with alcohol-related health problems." Laura Mahon, of Alcohol Focus Scotland, said: "For too long, we have seen deaths from alcohol continue to rise. "We are continually fed the message that alcohol has an essential role in our lives, normalising drinking. We must challenge this with cost-effective prevention measures as part of a robust strategy.' Health Secretary Neil Gray said: "Research estimated that our world-leading minimum unit pricing policy has saved hundreds of lives and likely averted hundreds of alcohol-attributable hospital admissions." To sign up to the Daily Record Politics newsletter, click here
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Beloved family dog dies from 'cannabis poisoning' after walk in Scots woods
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Cecilia and Dave Coutts lost their dog Tessa after she ate, what a vet concluded was cannabis, when out walking in the Gramps in Kincorth. Another dog was also affected and now the couple are warning others. A Scots family have been left devastated after their beloved died from suspected cannabis poisoning within hours of going on a regular walk to the woods. ‌ Cecilia Coutts, from Kincorth in Aberdeen, was at work when her husband Dave rang her in a panic asking her to come home immediatley after he'd found their eight-year-old Black Labrador collapsed in the garden. ‌ The couple rushed Tessa to the vets after it became clear that she couldn't walk and was disorientated on the afternoon of July 16. ‌ Cecilia, 56, said: "Davie took Tessa for a walk at the Gramps (Kincorth Hill Local Nature Reserve) around midday. "He noticed that she was eating something at one point so he told her to drop it and she came running straight over to him. "He checked her over and she seemed to be fine so they carried on as normal and went home. ‌ "A few hours later he let her out into the garden and when he went to check on her she was collapsed. Tessa couldn't use her back legs and we had to carry to the car. It was awful." A nurse had to help carry Tessa into the premises when the Coutts arrived at their local vets as she continued to deteroriate. A vet quickly assessed the beloved pet and suspected she had eaten marijuana from the symptoms she was displaying. ‌ Tests were carried out before it was decided that Tessa would have to monitored over night at an emergency vet hospital. "When we took her to the hospital she came walking out towards us and she was wobbly," Cecillia explained. "It broke my heart. The hospital said they would call us in the morning but her heart rate dropped and she was put on oxygen. ‌ "By 10pm they had phoned saying nothing had changed and then just before 12am they called again saying she was unresponsive and we should come in. "They hoped our voices might bring her around but I just knew she was gone. To me she looked like she'd had a stroke or was in a coma. Davie couldn't take it and had to leave the room, and I asked them to put her to sleep. ‌ "We were in shock. Her body had just shut down within a matter of hours." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. A vet assessed Tessa's cause of death was poisioning due to a toxin. However, a test confirming if it was a drug could not be carried out. ‌ The Coutts are now warning other dog owners in the area to be vigilant as another dog was also rushed ot hospital with the same symptoms. "Another dog owner we know came in to the vets too while we were there, she was screaming for help," Cecillia said. "Her dog had also eaten something at the same place just two hours after Tessa, it emerged. ‌ "Our vet later confirmed that the dog had also ate cannabis at the Gramps but thankfully it pulled through and survived. "Dogs eat anything so I can not believe someone is hiding substances like that around there. It's baffled me to be honest. It makes no sense and I'm angry. "It might just be an animal to some but Tessa was like a child to us. The whole family is heartbroken by her passing."

Over 260,000 Scots out of work due to long term sickness or disability
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Imported dogs could carry disease or behaviour risk, RSPCA warns
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Imported dogs could carry disease or behaviour risk, RSPCA warns

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