Alcohol addiction treatment 'must be priority'

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by Change | 30 Mar 2009

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Tackling drug addiction in Scotland needs to be a priority for the Scottish Executive, the leading Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP) has claimed.

The Scottish National Party (SNP) has said providing alcohol addiction treatment should be a priority for the country, following the recent release of figures showing how much the problem costs the economy.

Figures from Audit Scotland found that £5 billion is lost by the Scottish economy every year because of illnesses relating to alcohol addiction and the SNP is now suggesting that taking action to reduce this burden should be a priority for the Scottish government.

"Together with the British Medical Association, the British Liver Trust, the Royal College of Physicians and the chief medical officers of both Scotland and England, health experts are clear - alcohol misuse must be tackled as a matter of urgency," said health secretary Nicola Sturgeon.

The Scottish government has launched proposals to crack down on alcohol addiction by introducing minimum prices for alcoholic drinks sold across the country.

While some have attacked the proposals for penalising those who do not have an addiction problem, Ms Sturgeon said the Audit Scotland figures showed the government was taking the right decision.

In Westminster, prime minister Gordon Brown recently distanced himself from recommendations by chief medical officer Sir Liam Donaldson that favoured the introduction of a minimum price for alcoholic drinks.

Mr Brown said he does not want to take action that will hit the "responsible majority".

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