Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, special adviser to the Royal College of Physicians, said nearly 10, 000 lives a year could be saved by a minimum price of 50p per alcohol unit.
Dr Alex Wodak, director of an alcohol and drugs unit at St Vincent's Hospital, in Sydney, Australia, calculates that at least half the inmates in Australia's prisons are injecting drug users, half of whom continue injecting in jail, where they might typically share needles with 100 people in a year.
Plans to set a 50p minimum price per unit of alcohol have already been approved by MSPs.
Meanwhile ministers in Scotland are planning to press ahead with plans for a minimum price per unit of alcohol.
Executive ministers, Michael McGimpsey and Alex Attwood have said the minimum price for a unit of alcohol should be between 40 and 70 pence.
In November, the Scottish government made a second bid to bring in legislation which will set a minimum price for a unit of alcohol.
While 82% of adults claim to know what a unit of alcohol is, 77% don't know how many units are in a typical large glass of wine.
Government policy on alcohol pricing is also expected to be announced by the chancellor, following reports the government has ditched plans for 45p per unit minimum alcohol pricing.
Scotland is to see the introduction of minimum pricing set at 50p per unit of alcohol, although the European Commission has descried the move as "disproportionate", while it is also being challenged on legal grounds by the Scotch Whisky Association.
Scotland will become the first place in the UK to introduce minimum drink pricing and the coalition government has proposed a minimum price of 40p per unit of alcohol in England and Wales in an effort to "turn the tide" against binge drinking.
One of the most controversial measures to have come before Holyrood, the SNP's plan to set a minimum price per unit of alcohol was defeated in the last parliament after opposition parties refused to back it over concerns it was illegal and would punish responsible drinkers.
Scottish government plans for a minimum unit price for alcohol were defeated by the Health Committee on 22 September 2010.
The health secretary committed to introduce the details of the planned unit price for alcohol for the second stage of parliamentary scrutiny of the legislation.
The three Welsh Labour leadership contenders recently called for tough action against Wales' drinking culture, referring to anecdotal evidence of certain types of alcohol selling at 11p a unit in some areas, and concerns about licensing issues and availability.
It would make it illegal to sell alcohol for less than 50p per unit in shops and bars in the region.
The Association of Greater Manchester Authorities wants to create a by-law to make it illegal to sell alcohol for less than 50p per unit in the region.
We are working with the alcohol industry which has pledged to take one billion units out of the UK's alcohol intake and introduce a minimum unit price.
MSPs passed The Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Act 2012 in May 2012, setting a 50p minimum unit price as part of an effort to tackle alcohol misuse.
BBC: Study claims minimum pricing cuts alcohol-related deaths
The view from the commission came as ministers at Westminster proposed a minimum price of 45p a unit for the sale of alcohol in England and Wales.
Government ministers are proposing a minimum price of 45p a unit for the sale of alcohol in England and Wales as part of a drive to tackle problem drinking.
The UUP's Michael Copeland referred to a proposed minimum alcohol price of 40 to 45 pence per unit.
In the longer term, the government hopes to persuade Congress to tax cigarettes and alcohol on their value, rather than a fixed sum per unit sold.
Don Shenker, of Alcohol Concern, thinks a minimum price of at least 40p per unit might begin to affect behaviour.
David Cameron supports minimum alcohol pricing and the government has been consulting on a price of 45p per unit.
"In real terms, alcohol is 62% more affordable now than it was 30 years ago and research indicates that a minimum unit price of 40p and a ban on promotions could decrease consumption by 5.4%, " he said.
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