Substantial scientific evidence shows alcohol is a harmful drug that can damage human health. There are currently no plans to ban this dangerous and addictive drug despite the destuction it causes to individuals and communities.

Mounting evidence from numerous independent sources including the government funded Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs states that the use of alcohol is a significant public health issue (‘Pathways to Problems’, 2006)

Alcohol can unquestionably cause harm to individuals and society. Prohibition of alcohol would eliminate the crime committed by the harmful illicit trade of counterfeit alcohol. It would also drastically reduce the strain faced by the NHS and Police forces due to alcohol related incidents, as well as alleviating the harms associated with drug dependence and the misery that this can cause to families.

Upholding the current legal status of alcohol also sends the wrong message to the vast majority of people who do not take drugs, especially young and vulnerable people, with the potential grave risk of increased misuse of drugs. (‘Pathways to Problems’ report- ACMD, 2006)

Despite the ability to raise revenue through taxation, there are costs in relation to administrative, compliance and law enforcement activities, repairing damage caused to public property by individuals under the influence of alcohol, as well as the wider costs of drug-abuse awareness campaigns and health services.

The UK governments approach on drugs remains unclear: To prevent the use of certain drugs in our communities, on the basis that they are harmful to the public, while allowing and profiting from the distribution of other, more harmful drugs.

There are clear signs that the Government’s approach is not working: there has been a long term increase in alcohol based drug use over the last decade, and more people are being diagnosed with alcohol dependency now than in 2011/12. The average yearly number of adults seeking help for alcoholism has gone up from 109,683 to 114,920 in the past 3 years.