Health Minister Mark Drakeford has revealed he is giving serious consideration as to whether Wales could go it alone on major public health issues such as plain cigarette packaging and a minimum price for alcohol.
Prof Drakeford told WalesOnline he has instructed officials to look at the powers Wales has in relation to these two measures after the UK Government backed down from bringing in laws on both subjects.
Health campaigners hit out at the Department of Health last month when it announced that a decision on whether to introduce plain packaging for cigarettes had been postponed.
UK Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said they wanted to see how a similar system recently introduced in Australia worked before deciding whether to go ahead with the policy.
Following the announcement on plain packaging, Dr Richard Lewis, Welsh Secretary of the British Medical Association, said: “Evidence shows that packaging is a key marketing tool for the tobacco industry and an influence on younger people who start smoking.
“As doctors we see firsthand the devastating effects of tobacco addiction and therefore we urge the UK Government to reconsider and introduce legislation forcing the industry to adopt standard packaging and help put an end to a life-long addiction that kills and destroys health.
“The Scottish Government has today said that it intends to proceed with legislation on standardised packaging in Scotland. Perhaps the Welsh Government could follow their lead.”
A week later it emerged the UK Government had shelved plans to introduce a minimum price for a unit of alcohol in England and Wales.
Lib Dem Home Office minister Jeremy Browne said the policy would remain “under consideration” but there was not enough concrete evidence that the change would not hit responsible drinkers.
Prof Drakeford said he had been left disappointed by the UK Government’s decisions and was currently looking to see whether Wales would go its own way.
He said: “I was very disappointed that, on a UK level, plans which we thought were coming along have not been included in the UK Government’s programme.
“I still think that moving together is the best way to deal with some of these big public health issues. But I have asked my officials and the Chief Medical Officer to give me advice on what our powers are and if it is possible for us to move ahead with that.
“I do not align myself with the anxieties of those who accuse governments of being a nanny state. There are larger public interest issues at stake.
“Neither area is straightforward as far as legal powers are concerned, but the Welsh Government continues to explore both as we develop proposals to take forward the public health agenda.”
His comments follow recent criticism from campaigners that the Welsh Government was not doing enough to bring down smoking levels and meet its target to reduce smoking prevalence to 16% by 2020.
The Welsh Health Survey 2012, published in May, found 23% of people said they indulged in the habit – representing a drop of just 1% since the introduction of the smoking ban in 2007.
Elen de Lacy, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) Wales, said: “Ash Wales welcomes the news that the Welsh Government is considering implementing standardised packaging, but urges it to press ahead and commit to legislation as soon as possible following Scotland’s lead.
“Around 40 young people take up smoking every day in Wales and we know that glossy packaging has a huge influence on them. It is essential that this legislation is made a priority and introduced at the earliest opportunity to end tobacco marketing aimed at our children in Wales.”
Prof Drakeford also spoke about the potential of introducing a public health bill to tackle a wide range of public health issues.
A consultation on whether such legislation is needed recently drew to a close.
He said: “We have had the consultation on the public health bill and I am interested in taking particular measures to address issues such as smoking, alcohol, obesity and gambling.
“I want to see what action we can take to improve the population’s health in Wales and I’m prepared to lean on the powers that we have so we use them to the full extent.”
In November 2012, the Home Office proposed a minimum unit price of 45p, claiming this would lead to a 3.3% reduction in consumption, a 5,240 fall in the annual number of crimes, a 24,600 drop in alcohol-related hospital admissions, and 714 fewer deaths after 10 years.
However, last month the UK Government announced it would not be proceeding with minimum pricing. It would “remain under consideration” but it was claimed there was not enough “concrete evidence” that the changes would tackle problem drinking without penalising responsible drinkers.
Instead, the Government announced it would ban the sale of alcoholic drinks at a price below the level of alcohol duty plus VAT. One consequence would be that it would be illegal to sell a can of ordinary-strength lager for less than 40p.
An alcoholic unit refers to the equivalent of 10ml of pure alcohol. This equates to one 25ml single measure of whisky, a third of a pint of beer, or half a standard glass of red wine.
Men are not advised to regularly drink more than three to four units – a pint and a half of 4% beer. Women should not go beyond two to three units – a 175ml glass of wine.
