Scotland may raise drinking age

GLASGOW, Scotland, March 21 (UPI) -- Scotland's minister of public health says raising the country's legal age for purchasing alcohol could be part of new alcohol-related legislation.

Minister for Public Health Shona Robison said the country plans to spend about $160 million during the next three years to tackle issues related to rampant binge drinking, The Herald reported Friday.

Robison said "cutting edge" legislation is being planned for alcohol issues and raising the legal purchase age from 18 could be included in the new laws.

"We have been looking at all the issues such as availability, accessibility and age of purchase," Robison said. "These are things being considered. We have to get the public to acknowledge that there is a problem. There will certainly be some challenging proposals to build on."