Disentangling the messiness of natural experiments to evaluate public policy.

The author comments on an article by J. Holmes which summarizes studies that explored whether the introduction of the minimum unit pricing (MUP) policy in 2018 has led to the theorized reduction in consumption in Scotland overall and among population groups most likely to experience alcohol-related harm. Topics include association of MUP with reduced deaths and hospital admissions caused by alcohol in Scotland and concern that MUP would unfairly affect those who drink at low moderate levels.