Guernsey Press

Binge drinking and drug culture crackdown launched

NEW measures to crackdown on Guernsey's binge drinking and drug culture have been released today.

Published

Proposals include increasing duty on alcohol, introducing minimum unit pricing, more education in schools and remodelling the current treatment and support services. They have been outlined in the new Drug and Alcohol Strategy for 2015 to 2020.

The measures could mean an end to cheap supermarket drink deals, which experts say encourage 'pre-loading' where youngsters binge drink at home before going on a night out to avoid paying pub prices.

Coordinator Andrea Nightingale said while the current strategy had continued to tackle the issues of drug and alcohol misuse, it remained a major cause of ill health, social problems and economic costs.

'Alcohol, without a doubt, is a massive challenge,' she said. 'We need to get the message out there that you shouldn't be going out to get drunk.

'While with the drug side of things, people don't see it as much, it is still very much out there and we need to continue our work in containing that.'

An action plan has also been published listing targets and ways to achieve them.

That document has now gone out to public consultation for six weeks before it, along with any recommendations, will be put through the States for approval.

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