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Tag Archives: britain

Diageo funding for midwife training sparks controversy

Drinks giant Diageo is to fund alcohol training for 10,000 midwives as part of the Government's controversial Responsibility Deal . The training programme will be run by the National Organisation for Foetal Alcohol Syndrome UK ( Nofas-UK ) to encourage midwives to highlight the risks of drinking during pregnancy .

Latest Findings alcohol research bulletins: NICE guidance reviews; can brief interventions deliver popualtion-wide gains?; NST local alcohol visits

Recent bulletins from the drug and alcohol Bank : UK evidence-based guidance on alcohol dependence treatment From the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, this impressive assessment of what evaluation research means for alcohol dependence treatment in Britain is distinguished by reviews of the latest literature on the sub-topics it covers; in some cases these starkly reveal the inadequacies of the evidence base. UK evidence-based guidance on alcohol problem prevention In these UK national guidelines, experts prioritised population-wide changes like price rises and outlet restrictions which affect everyone, independent of the choices they make

News and updates Feb 2011: below cost ban & pricing reports, Drinkaware annual conference

The first Drinkaware annual conference recently took place in Westminster – see Drinkaware press release and highlights on YouTube .

Government Revenues Hit Hard In 2010, As Pubs Suffer Beer Sales Slowdown, UK

A sharp 3.9 per cent fall in UK beer sales in 2010, largely brought on by huge rises in Beer Tax, is hitting Britain’s already battered public finances, according to the latest UK Quarterly Beer Barometer published today by the British Beer & Pub Association…

Experiences with mephedrone pre- and post-legislative controls: Perceptions of safety and sources of supply

Abstract: Background: Drug scenes within several countries have changed in recent years to incorporate a range of licit psychoactive products, collectively known as “legal highs.” Hundreds of different legal high products have been described in the literature. Many of these products contain synthetic stimulants that allegedly “mirror” the effects of some illicit drugs.

Alcohol pricing news and updates: Green King response to IFS report; HMRC analysis

The brewer and pub owner Greene King has called for the “minimum pricing debate to continue” following a policy shift towards taxation and below cost. Greene King, who have previously spoken out in favour of minimum pricing, commissioned a review of the IFS alcohol pricing report which urged higher taxation over minimum pricing. Review of IFS Impact of Introducing a Minimum Price on Alcohol in Britain [pdf] In a press release , Greene King stated that minimum pricing would be a “targeted solution”, “raising the level of the lowest priced alcohol and directly tackling the behaviour which is causing most concern.” However it also suggested that in contrast to the IFS report, the alcohol industry would not benefit from increased profit – in fact it could lose as much as £1.2 billion per year

LETTERS: Safer and cheaper

YOUR paper slated electronic cigarettes as providing no evidence they help people to quit, and implied that they could be dangerous. We disagree. Evidence from a University of Auckland trial, published in April in Tobacco Control journal, shows e-cigarettes reduce the urge to smoke

IFS suggest taxation over minimum pricing

The Institute of Fiscal Studies ( IFS ) has suggested minimum pricing could transfer as much as £700 million from consumers to retailers and producers, advising tax increases as a preferred longer-term strategy. See the IFS report 'The impact of introducing a minimum price on alcohol in Britain' [pdf] In a press release , the IFS said: “Minimum alcohol prices would transfer large sums from consumers to those firms that retail and produce alcohol, but may target households that consume the most alcohol more directly than increases in alcohol taxes

Public Health report identifies will to act on alcohol

The British public wants the Government to take action to make Britain healthier, according to a report published last month by the Faculty of Public Health (FPH).

Guardian Focus podcast: The future of the British pub

Is there a future for the traditional British pub? Martin Wainwright investigates in: Guardian Focus podcast: The future of the British pub