Campaigners are calling for the minimum unit price for alcohol to increase from 50p to 65p.
The calls came as a final evaluation of MUP found that it reduced alcohol-related deaths, hospital admissions, and alcohol consumption.
Professor Ewan Forrest, a consultant liver specialist at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, told the BBC that the price must rise.
The surgeon, who is also on the steering group with Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems, said: “The 50p minimum unit price was established nearly a decade ago. Obviously a lot of things have changed in that time, including inflation. It seems only sensible that the minimum unit price would increase in parallel with that.
“I would certainly be advocating for it going up to 65p or more. Its benefits will be amplified at that higher level.”
His comments were echoed by the charity Alcohol Focus Scotland, the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, and British Medical Association Scotland.
In addition, Dr Alastair MacGilchrist, Chair of Expert Clinician Partnership at the Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems, said the effectiveness of MUP is being eroded year-on-year by the effect of inflation.
He told STV: “The current level of 50p was proposed when the legislation was first passed by the Scottish Parliament in 2012, over a decade ago, and it is essential to maintain and increase MUP’s effectiveness for the 50p level to be increased.
“MSPs must now act on the evidence and vote to keep MUP on our statute books and to uprate the level to at least 65p.
“Policymakers have a responsibility to protect and enhance our health by maintaining this life-saving policy.”
However, not everybody agrees. Christopher Snowdon, head of lifestyle at the Institute of Economic Affairs, said the evaluation ignores the “bulk of evidence” which shows alcohol deaths are at their highest level.
He added: “Minimum pricing was promoted to politicians based on speculative modelling so it is apt that a speculative model is being used to save it from the sunset clause – but minimum pricing has only ever worked in the imaginations of a handful of academics.
“It has cost Scottish consumers hundreds of millions of pounds and deserves to be ditched.”
