A minimum price for alcohol leads to fewer alcohol problems

12 May 2020

Secretary of State Paul Blokhuis sent yesterday to the House of Representatives an investigation into MUP (minimum price for one unit alcohol). Dutch government is considering the introduction of this measure and would therefore like to know the results of relevant studies and the experiences in other countries.

The research, carried out by RIVM and Trimbos Institute, shows that excessive, heavy and problematic alcohol consumption decreases due to the introduction of a minimum unit price. In addition, model studies show that MUP leads to fewer alcohol-related hospital admissions, deaths, traffic violations, crimes, health care costs, production losses and costs of police and judicial authorities.

Furthermore, MUP turns out to be more effective in reducing the alcohol consumption of many alcohol users than a general measure such as raising excise duties. This is because excessive, heavy and problematic drinkers more frequently drink cheap alcohol. It also turns out that MUP provides the biggest economic benefits for society compared to other measures.

At the end of 2020, RIVM will supplement the report by calculating three realistic scenarios for tightening the alcohol price policy in the Dutch situation. RIVM will also provide the most recent empirical data from Scotland, where MUP has been introduced since 2018. In addition, a stakeholder analysis will appear that provides insight into the position of stakeholders and their importance in the implementation of MUP in the Netherlands.

verkenning_van_effectiviteit_implementatieaspecten_en_scenarios_voor_prijsbeleid_innederland_1.pdf (1,04 MB)

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