Government declares War on Cheap Alcohol and Pre-drinking

Students will have to pay more for alcohol as the government declares war on cheap alcohol.

It plans to introduce a minimum price of 40p per unit of alcohol as early as this Autumn. Retailers would not be allowed to offer alcohol cheaper than that floor price under the proposals.

Such a move would effectively ban supermarkets’ buy-one-get-one-free offers entirely.

It would also cause the price of an own brand 2L bottle of cider to double in price – from £3 to £6 per bottle – and drive the price of cheap vodka up too.

The industry has slammed the barmy proposals as misguided and said that it will hit consumers hard, and students in particular.

David Cameron insisted the move was to tackle the “mayhem on our streets” caused from binge drinking.

He also claimed that the price would cost moderate drinkers no more than £23 a year. But that is equivalent to just a little over one unit per week.

The government have openly expressed their intention to crackdown on pre-drinking, or “pre-loading” as the Home Secretary, Theresa May, calls it.

She said: “In some shops and supermarkets, drinks are so heavily discounted it is possible to buy a can of larger for as little as 20p or a bottle of cider for just £1.69. That means many people now drink excessively at home and may ‘pre-load’ before they go out.”
 

What do you think about the government's hopes to ban cheap drinks? Are you PISSED off?