www.alkoholpolitik.ch

Last month the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled that flavored malt beverages, also known as alcopops, are distilled spirits and should be classified and taxed as such, instead of the beer tax rate the state has been using. The ruling meant 12 times more alcopops tax revenue for the budget-beleaguered state, and less access to alcopops for youth, whom producers target with these products.

A ruling like that should have policymakers celebrating, wouldn’t you think? After all, their responsibility is to serve the health and welfare of the public they represent, along with keeping a balanced budget for the state. Or is it? Just one month after the ruling, state legislators effectively overturned the Nebraska Supreme Court’s decision with LB 824. Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman approved the legislation April 6. The new law keeps the status quo intact: taxing alcopops at the beer rate and keeping the products available wherever beer is sold. …

It’s no surprise to see certain legislators going out of their way to please the powerful alcohol industry lobby at the expense of the communities they are supposed to represent. However, we don’t often see a legislature deliberately override the state supreme court in order to make alcohol companies happy. Welcome to the Doghouse, Nebraska Legislature and Governor Heineman.
(Source: Alcohol Justice, 04/17/12)

Tell State Legislators to Vote NO on LB 824!

In early March, the Nebraska Supreme Court confirmed that flavored malt beverages, AKA „alcopops,“ are distilled spirits according to Nebraska law. That wise ruling allows the state to tax alcopops at the $3.75 per gallon spirits rate, which is 12 times higher than the beer tax of 31 cents per gallon.

Increasing the price of alcohol reduces the amount of access young people have to these products, and is one of the most effective policies to reduce alcohol-related harm.

Unfortunately, Nebraska senators immediately went on the defensive and advanced a bill (LB 824) to negate the court’s decision. LB 824 would re-define beer to include alcopops, keep them cheap and widely accessible to youth.

It’s time to tell the senators to place the health and safety of our youth ahead of Big Alcohol’s concerns for profits. It’s time to tell the senators to kill this bill and let the Supreme Court ruling stand. It’s time to tax alcopops as distilled spirits.

Protect Nebraska Youth From Alcopops — Tell State Legislators to Vote NO on LB 824!
(Source: Alcohol Justice, 03/23/12)

In a recent victory in Nebraska, the Lancaster County District Court ruled in favor of the public health by declaring alcopops to be distilled spirits rather than beer for taxation purposes. As spirits, alcopops will be subject to a higher tax rate, which is shown to reduce consumption of these dangerous drinks while also raising much-needed funds for alcohol treatment programs. (Source: Marin Institute, 02/16/11) see also Join Together, 02/24/11

To reduce drunk driving, Nebraska’s Liquor Control Commission is considering a ban on drinking games sponsored by suppliers or bars, the Associated Press reported Jan. 10.
The commission has focused on drinking games like beer pong because they „encourage overintoxication, which has a societal risk, a societal harm,“ according to Hobert Rupe, who directs the commission.
„The problem with a lot of these games is if you’re drinking a lot of alcohol rapidly, in a short amount of time, you’re not going to realize you’re at that state until it’s too late,“ he said. Under the proposed regulations, a bar that violated the ban could lose its liquor license. (Source: Join Together, 01/19/11)

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 )

A proposal to use beer-tax revenues to fund an alcohol detoxification program in the notorious town of Whiteclay, Neb., is being opposed by alcohol industry lobbyists, the Omaha World-Herald reported Feb. 4.
Whiteclay is home to four stores that sell only beer, and most of that to residents of the „dry“ nearby Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The reservation is plagued by alcoholism, and Whiteclay has been dubbed the „Skid Row of the Plains.“ (Source: Join Together, 2/8/10)