Responding to the announcement by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care Neil Gray MSP this afternoon (12 September) that he is asking Public Health Scotland to look at options for introducing restrictions on alcohol marketing and sponsorship, CAMRA Chief Executive Tom Stainer said:
“We need to avoid a return to the Scottish Government’s previous heavy-handed plans which risked demonising the vast majority of those who consume alcohol responsibly, damaging the viability of small, local pubs which are a vital part of our social fabric, and stopping small and independent breweries and cider producers bring products to market which improves consumer choice of quality, distinctive and local beer and cider.
“Whilst we absolutely accept the need to reduce the number of deaths from alcohol in Scotland, ministers need to make sure that they don’t try and force through the draconian proposals of the past and avoid giving the impression that moderate consumption of lower abv drinks like beer in community pubs is driving this tragic trend, as this is not the case.”
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