Britain eyes minimum alcohol price levels

LONDON, March 15 (UPI) -- Britain's chief medical officer wants a minimum price for alcoholic beverages to discourage an epidemic of binge drinking, sources say.

Sir Liam Donaldson is set Monday to recommend legal limits on the low-end prices of alcoholic drinks, urging that none of them could be sold for less than 70 cents per unit of alcohol, The Daily Telegraph reported without naming sources.

A report to be issued by Donaldson contends the measure is needed to tackle binge drinking among Britain's youth, as well as rising levels of alcoholism among older people. It mainly targets cheap "value packs" of store-brand beers sold in supermarkets, the prices of which would double under the proposal, the newspaper said.

Donaldson's report says binge drinking and alcohol misuse are believed to cost the country about $35 billion each year.

Such measures, however, are strongly opposed by critics who say millions of moderate drinkers who act responsibly will be unduly punished during a recession in which money is already tight, the Telegraph said.