Statehouse Leaders Say Sunday Sales Law Dead This Session

While right-to-work and anti-smoking bills get much of the attention in the legislature, one that will not get any is whether Hoosiers should have the chance to buy alcohol from a store on Sundays.

State senator Phil Boots (R-Crawfordsville), who has sponsored the Sunday alcohol sales bill in the legislature the last two years, says his bill  won't even be discussed during this year's session.

"I have been told by several of the leadership that it's not something they're going to consider this year, any alcohol related legislation," Boots says.

He says that is despite what he thinks is the issue's popularity with the public - if not with some business owners.

"For some reason, we do not feel that we should address that because some elements have decided it's not a good thing for their business," Boots says. "So, I think it's something we should look at, but we're not, and I think that's unfortunate."

The Republican senator says he will continue to pursue Sunday sales, and says he is considering a push to allow cities and counties to hold their own referendums on the issue.

Source: Indiana Public Media 

INDIANAPOLIS -- Dollar General company officials said they're considering selling beer in their Indiana stores.

The possibility didn't go over well with some Hoosiers who believed that Indy already has enough liquor stores.

"I don't believe in it. I'm a Christian. They shouldn't be selling that around here. There are schools too close by," customer Jeffrey Payton said.

 In several locations, Dollar General is also near existing liquor stores, RTV6's Jack Rinehart reported.

Randy Zion owns a Liquor Barn and said that Dollar General's plan would bring more than competition to his business.

"A lot of these places are located in neighborhoods, and there are kids going in these stores unsupervised. It's more exposure. It's more possibilities and more problems," Zion said.

Indianapolis Metro Police said that alcohol sales at Dollar General stores could mean more crime.

Twelve Indianapolis stores in line to receive alcohol permits saw more than 800 police runs last year, including the store at 45th Street and Shadeland Avenue where police responded to a robbery, a carjacking and more than 80 thefts.

"A bottle of wine for a dollar, or a dollar for a bottle of liquor would definitely attract additional problems for the location," Sgt. Bill Carter said.

In November, the state Alcohol and Tobacco Commission auctioned off a number of liquor permits, including dozens for Marion County. With nearly 700 existing establishments selling beer, wine and liquor, Drug Free Marion County said Indianapolis has been over-served.

"In our opinion, it would put the community at great risk for all the problems that come when you have an excessive alcohol outlet density," Nancy Beals with Drug Free Marion County said.

Dollar General representatives said the chain plans to go before the Marion County Liquor Board on Tuesday.

Source: TheIndyChannel.com 

OGDEN -- Parents need to wake up and smell the alcohol, experts say in a new campaign alerting them to the signs their children may be getting "trashed."

For the next several months, local garbage trucks will serve as mobile billboards in Weber and Davis counties to help remind parents to talk with their kids about the dangers of alcohol on the developing brain.

Weber Human Services and Waste Management have teamed with Parentsempowered.org to help get the message across, said Zac Snow, prevention specialist with Weber Human Services.

The mobile billboards will carry various messages such as, "What part of their brain don't your kids need?"

According to parentsempowered.org, a media and education campaign funded by the Utah Legislature and designed to prevent and reduce underage drinking, binge drinking begins as early as the sixth grade. Yet, more than 60 percent of Utah parents are unaware their child is drinking. In addition, 45 percent of Utah kids who begin drinking before the age of 13 will become alcohol dependent.

Snow said a teen's brain is more vulnerable to addiction and dependence.

To view the full story, click on this link:

http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/01/01/campign-targets-teen-drinking-parent-awareness

Source: Standard Examiner

A new Canadian study suggests increasing the minimum price of beer, liquor and other alcoholic beverages may reduce how much people drink.

[summary]

Researchers used data from the Canadian province of British Columbia, where the government sets the minimum price for alcohol and keeps information on its sales.

For every 10-percent price hike, they found people drank 3.4 percent less alcohol, and their consumption of particular drinks dropped even more

"This is an important finding about an effective but under-utilized policy," said Dr. Tim Naimi, who studies alcohol control policies but wasn't involved in the new work.

In an email to Reuters Health, Naimi, of Boston University's School of Medicine, said raising the minimum price is "something of a silver bullet" when it comes to reining in drinking.

Specifically, for every 10-percent increase in the minimum price of an alcoholic drink, consumption of spirits and liqueurs fell by 6.8 percent, wine by 8.9 percent, alcoholic sodas and ciders by 13.9 percent and beer by 1.5 percent.

To view the full story click here: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/01/05/can-higher-alcohol-prices-curb-drinking/print##ixzz1id0OiMUI

Source: Fox News  

About 17 percent of U.S. adults, or 38 million people, say they binge drink, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Binge drinking is defined as consuming four or more drinks for women, and five or more drinks for men, on one occasion.

Binge drinkers reported an average of four episodes a month, each consisting of eight drinks at most, according to the report, which is based on data gathered during a 2010 survey.

The biggest group of binge drinkers are young adults, with about 28 percent of people between ages 18 and 24 reporting binge drinking. Men are twice as likely as women to say they binge drink.

A 2009 survey showed that about 15 percent of U.S. adults binge drink. The apparent uptick in prevalence is likely due to the polling of more people with cellphones in the current report, the researchers said.

Binge drinkers are at risk for many health problems, including liver disease, certain cancers, heart disease, sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancies exposed to alcohol. They also are at increased risk of being in car accidents, and engaging in violent behavior.

"Binge drinking causes a wide range of health, social and economic problems, and this report confirms the problem is really widespread," said Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, director of the CDC. "We need to work together to implement proven measures to reduce binge drinking at national, state and community levels."

To view the full story, click on this link: http://vitals.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/10/10096677-17-percent-of-us-adults-binge-drink

Source: MSNBC