ALMOST TWO YEARS on from passing laws allowing for a minimum price on units of alcohol, the government has failed to implement them.

However, campaigners say the current Covid-19 crisis means the logic in enacting them is “is as relevant today, if not more so, than any other time”. 

The argument had been made that if this jurisdiction brought the measure in before Northern Ireland did, it could drive consumers over the border but this claim is “even more tenuous” given the current stay-at-home guidelines according to Alcohol Action Ireland. 

Minimum unit pricing is a set cost below which alcohol can’t be sold. It is a section of the Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018 that has not yet been commenced.

The Act states that the cheapest price for a gram of alcohol is 10 cent. A standard drink has 10 grams of alcohol in it, meaning the lowest price for one standard drink is now €1.

So, today we want to know: Do you support minimum alcohol pricing in Ireland?