The government attacks your livelihood - government alcohol consumption reduction policies - Editorial

Some of your tax dollars are being spent to try to put you out of business! Right now there is a massive federally-funded neo-prohibitionist drive to reduce the purchase and consumption of alcohol beverages. That is official federal policy and this program is being imposed on state governments and agencies, which in turn mandate neo-prohibitionism right down to the local level.

The neo-dry program calls for a wide variety of measures to discourage consumption, such as:

* imposing higher taxes on alcohol beverages.

* limiting or reducing the number of sales outlets.

* restricting even more the permissable locations for sales outlets.

* prohibiting or limiting the advertising of alcohol beverages.

* expanding the use of warning messages on all advertisements and on all beverage containers.

* limiting the days or hours during which alcohol beverages can be sold.

* increasing server liability for subsequent problems associated with the misuse of licensed beverages.

* eliminating the tax deductibility of alcohol beverages as a business expense.

* mandating that schools and colleges teach anti-alcohol attitudes and beliefs.

* lowering the acceptable BAC for driving.

What can you do to protect yourself? For starters, you can become active in trade associations. You can also be on the lookout for any and all neo-dry threats and report them to trade organizations. But you can't simply leave it up to others to act. You must become vocal in opposing threatening or unfair actions. For example, you might request a copy of your local school's curriculum on alcohol. Then complain about anything incorrect or objectionable to the principal and superintendent, to the state commissioner of education, to your legislators and in letters to newspaper editors. And ask others in the trade to do the same.

Use a similar approach in the face of unacceptable proposals for changes in BAC, in tax increases, zoning ordinances or any other unfair threats.

It's essential to take action and to urge others to do the same. Be vocal, vocal, vocal. It's really not hard or time consuming. And, after all, it's your livelihood that's at stake.

David Hanson, Professor at State University of New York at Potsdam, writes and speaks widely on alcohol issues and is author of a forthcoming book on the neo-prohibitionist threat.

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