* Mixing caffeine and alcohol stops people sensing how drunk they are
Published on 7 Feb 2010
Buckfast and other alcoholic drinks with a high caffeine content would be banned under Labour plans going before the Scottish Parliament.
The tonic wine, which is frequently blamed for anti-social behaviour, contains around 375mg of the stimulant per litre, more than twice the limit imposed in some Scandinavian countries.
The SNP Government says evidence on the effects of mixing caffeine and alcohol is “inconclusive” and does not intend to legislate on the issue in its new Alcohol Bill.
Instead, it will try to crack down on cheap ciders and vodkas by setting a minimum price for alcohol in shops.
Labour, which opposes minimum pricing, will tomorrow launch its own Alcohol Commission to examine alternative ways of tackling Scotland’s dysfunctional relationship with drink.
One of its first tasks will be to determine a Scottish limit for the caffeine content of drinks such as Buckfast.
Denmark, Iceland and Norway impose a legal limit of 150mg of caffeine per litre in alcoholic drinks and the US Food and Drug Administration recently announced it was considering similar steps.
A group of American scientists recently warned the US Government that caffeinated alcoholic drinks were “associated with increased risk of serious injury to oneself and to others, as the result of driving while intoxicated, sexual assault, and other dangerous behaviours”.
A key reason is that mixing caffeine and alcohol stops people sensing how drunk they are. Although Labour has not told its Commission what level to set, 150mg will be used as a benchmark.
The party aims to implement a ban on high caffeine drinks through Holyrood, possibly by amending the Government’s Alcohol Bill.
Last month, Strathclyde Police released figures showing Buckfast was mentioned in 5638 crime reports between 2006 and 2009, an average of three per day.
Jackie Baillie, Labour’s health spokeswoman, said: “I believe that the risks involved in consuming caffeinated alcohol are so great that the Scottish Government must take action. The research suggests you are more likely to end up in hospital or be assaulted if you drink these products.”
However, the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, whose support would be needed for a new law, were sceptical about Labour’s proposals.
Murdo Fraser, deputy leader of the Scottish Tories said: “Whilst we will study these proposals in detail, on first look there are potential problems. Conservatives believe that the best way to use pricing to discourage excess drinking is to target problem drinks, using excise duty, and apply it on a UK-wide basis.”
LibDem MSP Robert Brown added: “More understanding is needed about why young people start drinking – whether Buckfast, beer or alcopops – in the first place.
“Simply banning one or the other will not do the trick.”
Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon accused Labour of a diversionary tactic to disguise politically motivated opposition to the SNP policy on minimum pricing.
“This is a smokescreen to hide a blatant disregard for Parliament, which is the proper place to debate the issues around the Alcohol Bill – not a hand-picked talking shop designed to delay and distract.”
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/heal ... -1.1004392
