Allied with Christian Action League on Government Liquor Stores

Policy makes strange bedfellows.  The local paper is stirring up doubts about the state liquor monopoly, and it should look for problems, but I’m still for government sale of intoxicants, as explained here:  https://www.huffingtonpost.com/pat-oglesby/marijuana-under-president_b_8207864.html, and here:  https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR864.html (download).

Here are some emails:

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8/13/2018 10:09 AM
Dear Folks at the Christian Action League:

The Center for New Revenue opposes privatization of liquor stores. The profit motive for liquor sales (or for marijuana sales) is not the people’s friend.   [Letter to N&O, below, was attached.]

Pat

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Aug 13 (4 days ago)
Response (in part):

Thank you for this information, Pat. The Christian Action League has long held the same opinion and appreciates those who are willing to speak out clearly on both issues of privatization and marijuana use.

. . .
John de Rosset
Administrative Assistant
Christian Action League of NC, Inc.
809 Spring Forest Rd., Suite 1000
Raleigh, NC 27609-9147
919-787-0606 Office
http://www.christianactionleague.org

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Dear Mr. Doran:

As one of the dwindling number of print subscribers, I applaud the N&O’s muckracking.  But state liquor stores need reform, not dismantlement, I think.

Here are some results of the privatization of liquor retailing in Washington State – a result of a ballot initiative funded primarily by Costco:

“Cross-border sales are one lasting effect of the privatization of liquor sales in Washington. More than six years after voters passed Initiative 1183, forcing the government to relinquish its Prohibition-era monopoly on sales of spirits, many continue to feel pinched by higher prices – and some still look for deals out of state.

. . .

“Before privatization, Washington had nearly 330 liquor stores owned or operated by the government. Now there are more than 1,600 retailers across the state, and gone are the strict limitations on when liquor can be sold.

“The increased availability has enabled liquor sales to spike and then continue on an upward trajectory, despite rising prices.

“According to Washington’s Department of Revenue, retailers in the state sold more than 34 million liters in the fiscal year that ended in June, a 22 percent increase from fiscal 2012, before privatization.”

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2017/dec/13/5-years-after-privatization-washington-liquor-sale/

Youth use went down in Washington, but it went down nationally, too.

Best wishes,

Pat