Alcohol industry watchdog The Marin Institute released a new report "Control State Politics: How Big Alcohol is Dismantling Regulation State by State." The efforts of the alcohol industry to privatize sales are called one of the biggest potential threats to public health policy.
The report describes the likely impact to states that privatize liquor sales, an issue under consideration in Washington and Virginia. While the states may experience a short-term windfall, the report found that in the longer term, the states' loss of a reliable revenue stream, coupled with the inevitable increase in alcohol outlet density, consumption, and alcohol-related injuries and violence, will result in significant harm to the public's health and economic stability.
The report includes a Q&A about Washington State's two privatization initiatives: I-1100 and I-1105, both on the ballot this November.
Read the report and related documentation, including the Q&A about Washington's situation: http://www.marininstitute.org/site/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=546&Itemid=15
