Jessie Joe Jacobs, Chief Executive Officer of the charity A Way Out, responds to Shane's piece on alcohol pricing from earlier this week.
As an organisation, we believe that tackling pricing must be part of a much wider strategy to reduce alcohol harm. Poor education and low aspirations are some of many contributing factors to young people’s alcohol use. A large number of the girls A Way Out supports are overcoming trauma and abuse, and alcohol is often used as a coping mechanism, we must therefore tackle the root causes.
Pricing alone may not be enough to tackle this growing problem but as part of a coordinated approach that also involves education, prevention, treatment and enforcement, I believe we could see a significant impact. A change in pricing will send out a clear message from the government that they are taking alcohol harm seriously, making clear that alcohol is still a drug, which if not used in a safe, sensible or social way, can and does destroy thousands of lives.
For more info about A Way Out click here.
Comments
Be the first to comment on this article!