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A new study estimates how much money excessive alcohol consumption costs in each state. The numbers are sobering.
Here's what the study found locally:
Pennsylvania: $1 billion in health care costs, $5.9 billion in lost productivity costs, $1.4 billion in other costs for things like property damage, criminal justice, and special education for kids with fetal alcohol syndrome—a total of $1.81 per drink.
New Jersey: $570.9 million in health care cost, $4.5 billion in lost productivity, $840 million in other costs—$1.69 per drink.
Delaware: $86.6 million in health care costs, 477.9 million in lost productivity, $122.5 million in other costs—$1.40 per drink.
Dram shop liability laws: Gaining its name from an ole' fashion word for a unit of alcohol ("Bartender, give me another dram of whiskey!"), state dram shop liability laws allow bars and restaurants to be held legally responsible for damage caused by consumers after they drink too much at their establishment. The CPSTF concluded that state dram shop liability laws are effective in preventing alcohol-related harms. Overall, the task force found that the laws decreased drunk driving fatalities by 6.4%. ("Sorry Sir, I will not—you're quite drunk. If I give you another dram of whiskey, I will be sued and lose the bar, the house, and my wife.")
Alcohol excise taxes: On average, people drink less when it costs more. In their review of 73 studies, the CPSTF concluded that there was an inverse relationship between the price of alcohol and its excessive consumption and/or adverse outcomes (e.g., drunk driving, liver cirrhosis). States can prevent some of these outcomes by taxing alcohol at a rate higher than other goods.
Not privatizing retail alcohol sales: While it can be a hassle to get booze in states like Pennsylvania where government is both regulator and retailer, the evidence suggests that it's good for the public's health. The CPSTF "recommends against the further privatization of alcohol sales in settings with current government control of retail sales" as there is "strong evidence that privatization results in increased per capita alcohol consumption, a well-established proxy for excessive consumption."
Read more about The Public's Health.