Here’s why B.C.’s top doctor says making stronger booze more expensive could save lives

Stock image of bottles of alcohol. (Freepik/Wirestock)

British Columbians “overwhelmingly” choose to buy cheaper, stronger booze, according to a new report that recommends changing the province’s pricing model in order to reduce alcohol-related harms—including deaths.

On Wednesday, Dr. Bonnie Henry released a report outlining provincial trends on alcohol consumption and suggestions for how to reduce it.

“When it comes to drinking alcohol, less is best,” the provincial health officer said, in a statement.

“While it is important for people to be able to make informed decisions about alcohol, government has a key role to play in addressing factors that shape drinking behaviour through policy shifts.”

• Related: B.C. alcohol use hits 20-year low but remains above national and recommended levels

The report found the price of booze, when adjusted for inflation, has gone down in B.C. over the past two decades, bucking the overall trend for goods and services.

“When the price of alcohol goes up, people drink less, and alcohol‑related harms— including deaths—are reduced,” the report says, before explaining how B.C. sets booze prices.

The current model in the province sets minimum prices for alcohol based on volume. The report explains that means a can of beer with three per cent alcohol is not required to be any cheaper than one with more than twice that amount.

“People are therefore incentivized to purchase higher‑strength products because they offer better value for price,” the report says.

“While there are more expensive products on the shelves, customers are overwhelmingly choosing cheaper products. Cheaper and stronger alcohol products are more likely to be purchased and consumed by groups at greater risk of harm from alcohol.”

An alternative model exists wherein prices are tied to alcohol content, which means the stronger a product is, the more it costs.

“This approach has the potential to shift customers’ purchasing habits, encouraging them (through pricing) to purchase lower‑strength products,” the report says.

Scotland pivoted to this model in 2018, and the report says it resulted in an overall reduction in the volume of “pure alcohol” sold per person. Research comparing Scotland to England, which did not adopt the model, found fewer alcohol-related deaths and hospitalizations over a 32-month period, according to the report.

“This equated to avoiding an average of 156 deaths and 411 hospitalizations per year,” the report says, adding that “most of the avoided deaths were seen in areas of the country with lower socio‑economic condition.”

Changing the pricing model was one of six recommendations the report made for reducing alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harms in B.C. Others included requiring warning labels on alcohol and maintaining a moratorium on licensing private liquor stores.