AP16 Speaker: Industry is Akin to Malaria-Carrying Mosquito

There’s a certain romance associated with being in the wine industry, which is why many people aspire to own a vineyard despite all the back-breaking work associated with farming. That’s why I was pretty shocked by the excessive disdain for the alcohol industry that many participants expressed at the Alcohol Policy 16 (AP16) Conference last [...]

Another Perspective on AP16

Julie Gunlock of the Independent Women’s Forum reports on her experience at the Alcohol Policy 16 conference last week.  She draws conclusions similar to my own. She notes: I’ve written some on alcohol policy in the past (here and here) and as the director of IWF’s Women for Food Freedom project, I’m always interested in [...]

Taxing Alcohol for Profit and Punishment

Although there appears to be no acceptable level of alcohol consumption to participants at the Alcohol Policy 16 Conference, which met last week in Arlington, Va., attendees certainly don’t mind profiting from people who do drink. During a discussion on alcohol tax policy, these “public health advocates” discussed ways to hike the rates as much [...]

Health Advocates Target Responsible Drinkers

“Don’t just lean in, barge in,” said Rebecca Ramirez of Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health at the opening of the Alcohol Policy 16 conference in Arlington,Virginia (April 3-5, 2013). In one short sentence, Ramirez summed up the entire purpose of this 16th annual event: mobilize nanny-state activists to push taxes and regulations [...]

Tied House Rules: Mythical Excuse for Regulation?

My colleague Michelle Minton raises a provocative, yet convincing case that modern-day laws supporting three-tier mandates for alcohol regulation are based more on myth than reality.  These laws mandate that all alcohol must go from wholesaler to distributor before sale to a retailer. Before Prohibition, saloons were often tied to alcohol producers either through contractual [...]

Washington State Initiative Could Send Tremors Across America

The Mackinac Center for Public Policy published my article on the Washington State alcohol policy initiative  (#1183), which would privatize spirit sales and crack open the three-tier system in that state. With any luck, this initiative will become a model for other states looking to enhance consumer choice and private enterprise. Costco has led the [...]

Wacky Wine Regulation Quiz

My colleague Michelle Minton and I presented on  alcohol regulation at the Society of Wine Educators Conference in Providence Rhode Island is past summer. We managed to keep participants awake with a lively presentation that quizzed the audience on the wacky world of alcohol regulation in America. Quiz yourself here. As we presented, participants had [...]

Constitution Never Meant to Serve Beer

Last week, the National Beer Wholesalers Association President Craig Purser, who happens to be a former colleague of mine, had an article in The Washington Times, suggesting that the alcohol bill on Capitol Hill (H.R. 1161) serves constitutional principals. Although we haven’t chatted in years, I like Craig. He’s a super-nice guy, and he surely [...]

Alcohol Wholesalers’ Attack on American Jurisprudence

Beer wholesalers say they are supporting federal alcohol legislation related to shipping of alcohol interstate–the so-called CARE Act–because they are concerned about the uncertainty and bureaucracy associated with legal battles on the topic. The National Beer Wholesalers Association explains this position on its website: Since 2005, more than half of the states have faced challenges [...]

CEI Releases Paper on CARE Act

Today, the Competitive Enterprise Institute released my  white paper on the CARE Act. Press release and link follow below. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Lee Doren, 202-331-2259 Nicole Ciandella, 202-331-2773 CARE Act Undermines the Free Market and Constitutional Principles, New Report Finds Wholesalers Lobby to Protect Regulatory Fiefdoms in the Alcoholic Beverage Market Washington, D.C., July [...]

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