A reader sent the following opinion piece. It addresses the ignored civil rights issue of our time. The writer wishes to remain anonymous. As we students return to campus each fall, we are bombarded with politically correct rhetoric. It focuses on race, gender, and sexual orientation. Activists tell us that America is systemically racist, …
Although it’s a professional medical organization, the American Medical Association (AMA) is also a major political organization. In its efforts to influence public policy, the AMA plays fast and loose with facts. Thus, AMA’s alcohol information and statistics are often either wrong or misleading. 100,000 Beer Commercials The AMA has asserted that it “long has …
Consumers have a right to know the contents of what they eat and drink. Millions of people rely on nutrition labels to help them make important health and diet choices. Independent research has found that label information on packaged food and drinks is very useful. It helps 76% of people make decisions on what to …
Communities sometimes vote on whether or not to allow Sunday alcohol sales. Or they vote on whether to overturn old laws prohibiting any sale of alcohol. That is, on whether to become “wet.” In virtually all cases, opposition to such change is organized by local ministers. They who contend that drinking is prohibited by the …
Many countries have drinking guidelines. These show what governments consider reasonable drinking levels. However, drinking guidelines differ widely. Some maximum levels are twice as high as others. Yet the medical research findings are available to all countries! I. Guidelines not Science-Based It’s clear that these maximum consumption levels have little basis in medical research. Instead, …
What is the Center for Alcohol Policy? What are its goals? How does it achieve them? I. Center for Alcohol Policy The Center for Alcohol Policy is a non-profit organization. The National Beer Wholesalers Association founded and funds it. That’s a trade group. The executive director for the Center is Mike Lashbrook. He was president …
You’ll find here a summary of each state’s laws about the minimum age to sell alcohol in off-premises venues. That is, in places where customers must take the alcohol elsewhere to consume it. States vary widely in their alcohol laws. What is true in one state may not be true in the next. Therefore, it’s …
Dry counties have higher DWI or DUI fatality rates than wet counties. That is, alcohol prohibition or dry counties have higher rates of alcohol-related traffic deaths than do wet counties. Here are the results from three states. There are many examples. Here are three. I. Arkansas A study of all counties in Arkansas found dry …
Governments collect excise taxes on alcohol beverages. That is, on beer, wine, and distilled spirits. (Spirits are vodka, gin, tequila, rum, whiskey, etc.) Both the federal government and state governments impose alcohol taxes. In addition, local governments do so as well. Alcohol taxes at the federal, state, and local levels adds greatly to the retail …
I. Impact of BAC on Traffic Crashes. What’s the effect of BAC on traffic crashes? (BAC = blood alcohol concentration.) Most drivers who have any alcohol in their bodies have a low and legal BAC. As a result, they have few alcohol-related crashes. The chart below shows BAC in relation to risk of crach. Clearly, …
