Cancer Alliance call on PM to introduce National Alcohol Strategy

The Humber and North Yorkshire Cancer Alliance are calling on the Prime Minister to introduce a National Alcohol Strategy.

It's as new research from the World Cancer Research Fund reveals a stark lack of awareness around the link between alcohol and cancer - with only 1 in 14 people able to name cancer as a health risk for drinking.

"We'd like the government to introduce a national strategy," said Martyn Willmore, Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, "we've seen this work around other topics such as tobacco over a number of years where the government's taken action."

"We've seen the use of tobacco come down quite starkly over the last couple of decade.

"We're really interested in things like the minimum unit price, that would introduce a basic cost of alcoholic units.

"Which means that the products couldn't be sold off particularly cheaply at what we call 'pocket money prices' that would be appealing to children in particular."

Despite alcohol being linked to at least seven types of cancer, including breast, bowel, and liver, a quarter of UK adults falsely think there are no health risks attached to drinking alcohol.

"I think people know vaguely that alcohol is not good for them, although the latest survey suggests that one in four people weren't aware of any links between alcohol and poor health," said Martyn Wilmore

"It's quite shocking some of the data that's been released."

Alcohol is estimated to cause around 17,000 cancer cases every year in the UK, yet many people are unaware of the connection. It’s estimated that alcohol-related cancers cost the NHS alone an estimated £100 million annually.