BMJ  2004;328:659 (20 March), doi:10.1136/bmj.328.7441.659

News

UK government announces plan to tackle alcohol

London

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

UK alcohol manufacturers could be forced to give similar health warnings on alcohol bottles to those that currently appear on cigarette packets, if plans to tackle excessive drinking, outlined in a government report, are accepted.

The report, from the Prime Minister's strategy unit, outlines a package of measures to try to curb people's drinking because of the effect of excess alcohol on people's health and the separate issue of alcohol related violence. The measures include improving the "safe drinking" message as few people know how many units they can safely drink; encouraging the drinks industry to advise on sensible consumption in advertisements and on products; and improving alcohol education in schools.

The report acknowledges, however, that similar initiatives to label products, already in place in the United States, have not led to a substantial change in people's drinking habits.

Prime Minister Tony Blair launched the report two days before the . . . [Full text of this article]

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