One in 20 deaths in Scotland is linked to alcohol, said Dr Lesley Graham at the Scottish FPH conference.
Scotland has the fastest growing rate of liver disease in the world, said Graham, public health lead for alcohol and on the policy team for alcohol in the Scottish government.
The estimated cost to Scottish society was £2.25m per year, she added. Price and consumption were linked, she argued. "Tackling price is so important," she said.
Education is not powerful enough on its own, she said, putting the argument for minimum alcohol pricing.
Graham's speech at the annual FPH Scottish conference, being held in Peebles, caused a call for a vote from the floor in support of minimum pricing.
The ad hoc vote was massively in favour of the proposal.
