political story

The state of Washington has two initiatives on the November ballot concerning the state’s current outdated alcohol regulation system.

Washington is currently one of only seven other states that regulate liquor sales. It has been this way for over 70 years and this system is largely considered outdated and in need of revision.

Citizens of Washington have expressed interest for privatization of liquor sales by voting two initiatives onto the November ballot. Initiatives 1100 and 1105 would have state run liquor stores shut down and allow for private retailers that sell beer and wine to also sell hard liquor.

Oppositions for both initiatives argue that allowing the privatization of liquor sales would create a public safety issue. By making the sales of spirits more convenient police, schools, and parents are concerned about an increased rate in underage drinking and DUI incidents.

Pullman citizen and concerned mother Vicki Azose said she doesn’t like the idea of teenagers having greater accessibility to hard liquor. Azose said, “Underage drinking is already a huge issue and I feel like this can only lead to more drunk driving accidents and alcohol abuse.”

Both initiatives attempt to eliminate this concern. I-1105 states that if a retailer is caught selling alcohol to minors the retailer would lose its license and face potential fees. Or if selling to a minor lead to an incident then the retailer would be held financially responsible for property damage and injuries, a consequence currently held by the state and its taxpayers.

I-1100 instead suggests that since the state’s Liquor Control Board will be less concentrated on sales of hard liquor it can now concentrate its efforts on education of the public, combat abuse, and collect tax revenue.

WSU student Matt Wyatt said if kids want to get drunk they are going to find a way to drink. “It’s not very hard especially on a college campus to get booze underage," Wyatt said. "I don’t think it matters either way where the liquor is sold, kids will get their hands on it regardless”.

Initiative 1100 would allow for any retailer selling beer and wine could also sell spirits, which could drastically increase the amount of stores selling spirits.

While I-1105 would require retailers to pass state administered criteria in order to obtain a liquor license, possibly leading to a decline in retailers offering liquor.

Others argue that these initiatives would reduce revenue for the state, Pushing Washington further into a financial deficit at a time when it can least afford it. Both initiatives eliminate liquor profits to the state but I-1100 would maintain the state’s 10% liquor tax.

Initiative 1105 however would create fees regarding the license itself which could potentially bring in revenue depending on how many licenses the state sells.

State representative Brian Smith said he doesn’t think either of these initiatives will benefit the state as far as revenue but it is obvious that the citizens are unhappy with the current condition of liquor regulation run by the state.

The outcome of either of these initiatives is not certain although both claim an ability to fill the void of millions of dollars the state would normally receive annually from liquor sales.

Outline:

I. The issue
a. outdated liquor regulation practices by the state
b. expressed interest
c. the basic function of upcoming initiatives 1100 and 1105
II. Opposition of initiatives
a. possible negative outcomes
b. concerned citizen
III.Possible solution for concerns
a. possible positive outcomes combating concerns
b. student opinion
IV. Further conditions of the initiatives
a. who can sell liquor, why and how?
V. Possible deficits to the state
a. state liquor board representative
VI. Conclusion
a. uncertainty

Sources:

Brian Smith:
360-664-1774
besmi@liq.wa.gov

Vicki Azose:
ssAzose@comcast.net

Matt Wyatt:
509-432-4339
wyatt@email.wsu.edu