www.alkoholpolitik.ch

A measure that would have raised the alcohol tax in West Virginia and used the revenues to pay for addiction treatment and prevention programs has been killed. The Charleston Gazette reported Feb. 24 that the bill died in a legislative committee. However, lawmakers separately approved a pair of bills that would put a $300-million cap on Medicaid spending and dedicate any excess to paying for addiction services. Some estimates put the reserve amount at $60 million. The bill had called for raising the beer tax from 2 cents per bottle to 7 cents. (Source: Join Together, 3/1/10)

The Latvian parliament plans to vote on a proposal which would limit trade with alcohol in the near future. The daily Latvijas Avīze welcomes the initiative: “In Latvia more than 10 litres of pure alcohol are consumed per capita and per year, there are countless alcoholics and statistics show that the number of minors being brought into hospitals with alcohol poisoning is on the rise. … (Quelle: Google Alkohol Alert, 25.2.10) eurotopics.net, 24.2.10

The South Dakota House Commerce Committee rejected a bill that would have lowered the state’s legal drinking age from 21 to 19, the Associated Press reported Feb. 22.
The measure went down to defeat on a 10-3 vote. Bill sponsor Rep. Tim Rounds had proposed allowing 19-year-olds to drink in certain clubs where only beer was sold, saying the measure would provide a controlled environment for young drinkers and cut down on drunk driving. (Source: Join Together, 2/23/10)

In this prolonged down economy, most states are looking at any and every idea that might produce revenue to cover budget shortfalls. In many control states, or alcohol beverage control states as they are sometimes called, the recession has led to a wave of sometimes heated discussions in state legislatures over whether to privatize the sale of alcohol in order to generate more revenue for the states. (Source: Marin Institute, 2/20/10)

A Prohibition-era law still on the books makes Nebraska the only U.S. state to ban bars from serving drinks that mix beer and liquor, and some lawmakers are trying to make the restriction history. (Source: Join Together, 2/19/10 )

Reacting to a Government campaign which aims to educate and support young people to make sensible decisions about alcohol, especially during the school holidays, Chris Sorek, Chief Executive of Drinkaware, says: “For young people, boredom and drinking alcohol often goes hand in hand – nearly one in 10 young people aged 16 and 17 (8 per cent) drink at least once a week just because they are bored*. (Source: Medical News Today, 2/21/10)

A bill that would require insurers to cover addiction and mental health services on par with other health conditions has been approved by the Wisconsin Senate, the Wisconsin Radio Network reported Jan. 29. The measure passed 19-13 and moved to the state Assembly for consideration. (Source: Join Together, 2/16/10)

Alaska Senate Majority Leader Johnny Ellis has proposed directing all tax revenues from sales of alcoholic beverages to paying for addiction treatment and prevention programs, the Associated Press reported Jan. 27.
Ellis recently introduced legislation that would roughly double the $40 million in tax money the state currently directs to treatment and prevention. The current law calls for using half of alcohol tax collections on addiction programs. (Source: Join Together, 2/9/10)

Drinking at the last chance saloon…or – there is no place for integrity in academic medicine.
Distinguished voices are lining up behind England’s chief medical officer Liam Donaldson in support of a minimum price for alcohol. The BMA and the Royal College of Physicians have made a good case, and this week they are joined by the combined weight of the Faculty of Public Health and the Royal Society for Public Health. These two bodies list a minimum price for alcohol among 12 policy changes that will save many lives and relieve pressure on the NHS. As the faculty’s president Alan Maryon-Davies says, in lean times such act ion is all the more essential…. (Source: Google Alkohol News, 2/7/10) schiwago.blogspot.com, 2/7/10

The U.S. Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Treasury jointly issued new rules providing parity for consumers enrolled in group health plans who need treatment for mental health or substance use disorders. (Source: Medical News Today, 2/6/10)