Under 21 alcohol shop ban met with dismay

Jun 19 2008 by Lesley Brown, Hamilton Advertiser

A NEW government proposal to tackle binge drinking would see under-21s banned from buying alcohol in off-licences, although over-18s could still drink in pubs and clubs. Also being considered is setting a minimum price at which a unit of alcohol can be sold. We asked shoppers in Hamilton for their views.

William Gormley (67), of Hamilton, said: “It will never work, young people will always find a way to get alcohol. If they can still buy it in pubs then banning it in shops won’t make any difference. Setting a minimum price for a unit will just mean that prices go up for everyone.”

Shirley Clark (36), of Larkhall, said: “People under 21 would just get someone older to buy the alcohol for them, the way under-18s do now. It will make it easier for shop workers though, because it can be quite difficult to distinguish young people of 16 and 17 from those of 18. The minimum price for a unit might cut down on the amount of alcohol youngsters are able to afford but it won’t put them off buying it altogether.”

Angela Murray (36), of Hamilton, said: “My view is that raising the age will cut down on the number of underage people getting access to drink. When people buy alcohol from shops there is nobody seeing they drink responsibly or that they aren’t buying it for someone else. I used to work in a pub so I know that if a pub is well-run then you don’t get underage people in drinking.”

Gemma Queen (23), of Motherwell, said: “I still sometimes get asked for ID in shops, so they are mostly quite careful. People tend to misuse alcohol when they are much younger and many have already learned to be responsible by the time they reach 17 or 18. It would make more sense just to target under-18s because sometimes people, especially girls, can pass themselves off as being much older. Setting a minimum price wouldn’t make much difference. People are going to drink regardless of the price.”