The Highland Substance Awareness Toolkit adheres to the Highland Alcohol and Drugs Partnership (HADP) Position Statement on Partnership Working with the Alcohol Industry.

Health Improvement Materials: Caution will be adhered to when using health promoting materials sponsored by the alcohol industry. Preference will be to use materials that are not sponsored by the alcohol industry. Where no alternative exists then consideration may be given to using materials. This will only be where they are assessed as unlikely to compromise public health objectives and do not promote a biased or restricted perspective on approaches to reducing alcohol related harm.

For example, the UK-wide Drinkaware charity ‘promotes responsible drinking and works to reduce alcohol misuse and harm in the UK’. Drinkaware is supported by voluntary donations from the drinks industry.

Grants: Some grant giving trusts receive alcohol-industry related funding either directly or indirectly for the purposes of supporting local initiatives. To safeguard public health objectives, HADP and partners should seek assurances that the particular trust is independent of industry influence and that local activities related to reducing alcohol-related harm will not be compromised.  

Conflict of Interest: The purpose of alcohol companies is to sell alcohol and make a profit. This commercial priority conflicts with the goal of reducing alcohol related harm which requires measures to decrease alcohol consumption. It therefore conflicts with the implementation of regulatory measures that evidence indicates are the most effective means for reducing consumption levels. These include minimum unit pricing, taxation policies, controls on availability and restrictions on marketing and advertising.

For example, the delay of implementation of the Scottish Government’s Minimum Unit Pricing due to the Scotch Whisky Association’s legal challenge against this whole population initiative.

For further information, Engaging with the alcohol industry: what you need to know is a useful paper on this, available from Alcohol Focus Scotland.