TACKLING Scotland's booze culture was never going to be an easy ride for the Scottish Government.
Last week, one of the main planks of the SNP's war on binge-drinking suffered a serious blow, when MSPs voted against the party's plans to raise th
e minimum age limit for buying alcohol in off-sales from 18 to 21.
And only yesterday, The Scotsman reported that competition lawyers believed setting minimum prices for alcohol – another key proposal – could be vulnerable to a legal challenge. Speaking at a conference to mark the beginning of alcohol awareness week, Kenny MacAskill, the justice secretary, bullishly swept aside this threat.
However, the minimum-age plan has sailed into stormier seas.
While the Scottish Government says it is still considering the outcome of a consultation, Holyrood has already set its face against the proposal.
Given that it will eventually require the consent of the legislature, this leaves the plan in serious trouble.
One former government figure, who was close to the project, has told The Scotsman that ministers may now turn to introducing under-21 booze bans in local hot spots, rather than pursue a blanket prohibition.
"We've already seen this policy adopted in towns in West Lothian, Fife and Central Scotland. They appear to have had very good results, so this would appear to be an option for the government if it can't get a national policy through the parliament," said the source.
Steeped as drinking is in the national psyche, it's easy to forget just how serious the problems are that the SNP is trying to face up to.
Every day in Scotland, more than 100 people are admitted to hospital with an alcohol-related health problem.
In 2005, there were 2,372 deaths in Scotland attributed to alcohol misuse – an increase of more than 300 per cent since 1980.
The link between alcohol and violence is also undeniable. An audit of accident and emergency departments at Scottish hospitals suggested that at least 70 per cent of assaults may be alcohol-related.
About half of all murders carried out in Scotland are committed by people drunk at the time.
And only yesterday, it emerged that the number of young offenders who blame alcohol for their crimes has almost doubled in the past 30 years.
The full article contains 390 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
