BIRMINGHAM has admitted it has a drink problem, as two out of three people recognise the city drinks too much according to the latest results of the West Midlands’ Big Drink Debate.
However, the question as to whether the legal drinking age should be raised from 18 to 21, as it is in America, has split the population with just 49 per cent thinking that is a good idea.
But when asked about controlling access to alcohol, nearly one in four (39 per cent) felt it was too cheap but only 18 per cent were in favour of raising tax on drinks,
with nearly half (49 per cent) opposed to putting health warnings on cans and bottles.These are just some of the opinions expressed as part of the West Midlands Big Drink Debate, which closes next month, to help the Government develop a more comprehensive regional alcohol strategy.
Drink driving was another area where Midlanders were keen to see laws tightened, with 60 per cent calling for the blood alcohol limit to be cut from 80mg to 50mg.
Dr Jammi Rao, deputy regional director of public health, said: “These results show the people of Birmingham do have concerns about the amount of alcohol that is consumed. But while these concerns do exist, people do seem to appreciate the dangers involved.”
People are still being urged to take part in the debate at the bigdrinkdebate.co.uk website.
The West Midlands has one of the highest levels of alcohol-related hospital admissions in England, with 89,000 people in 2006-07.
