THE GUARDIAN: The government should consider making alcohol more expensive and reassess its 24-hour drinking laws to curb serious health problems related to excessive drinking, according to a group of experts.
In a review of public health policy, the Nuffield Council on Bioethics concluded that, left to themselves, people do not choose to live healthy lives, and the state must intervene to control behaviour. Lord Krebs, principal of Jesus College, Oxford, who chaired the council's review, said the government had a duty to help people make healthy choices. "We think it's too simplistic to say that it's all down to individual choice, because individuals often suffer ill health or adopt unhealthy behaviours for reasons beyond their control."
The council gathered doctors, philosophers, economists, lawyers and scientists to look at how far the state should intervene. "We know from medical evidence that many of the big killers in society - cancer, heart disease and stroke - are at least partially preventable by altering people's behaviours," said Krebs. "Our report asks whose job it is to ensure we all lead a healthy life."
The group considered obesity, infectious diseases, and smoking - but singled out alcohol as of most concern. Roger Brownsword, a law professor and member of the group, said: "Alcohol is, on any harm index, a very harmful product. It's estimated that £20bn a year is the cost of alcohol to the country, of which a third is accounted for by crime and public disorder." Tighten alcohol laws to protect nation's health, ethics panel says (more) By Alok Jha
Mark Alexander
