The GUV'NOR

Dave Daly

A hike in tax on alcohol will only lead to increased drug-taking, says the licensee of Cahoots in Blackpool

On the back of banning

smoking in pubs, ministers want to jack up beer prices. The Government says it's the only way to stop young people drinking, but it's time for

politicians to stop and think.

Drinks already cost more than £3 each in night clubs and alcopops are taxed as much as spirits.

But recent Home Office figures reveal some cheaper recreational options: ecstasy and LSD cost £2 a tablet and cocaine costs 80p a line.

The Government must think that if it taxes drink highly enough, kids will stay at home playing on computers while enjoying cheap supermarket booze. Another Home Office figure states that half of

under-25s use drugs as a

low-cost alternative to a night on the tiles.

This practice must stop: the Home Office should take

action over ready availability of drugs in our communities.

Next year, customers are due start to receiving fines of £50 if they are caught smoking in our pubs, while the person caught snorting a line of cocaine will be

cautioned because it's for their personal consumption.

Let us all hope that this ridiculous scenario does not occur. The war on the drinks

industry should be tackled, while drug-induced nights out should be at the

forefront of future Home

Office initiatives.

Cocaine use is likely to prove the biggest headache for this industry.

And the more people talk about it, the better, as it is a habit that crosses all age groups.