CenturyLink Field wants to sell more hard alcohol during sporting events

CenturyLink Field, home to the Seahawks and the Sounders, proposes to increase the number of spirits outlets from 26 to 42 points of sale in 2013, and to add 40 more points of sale in 2014, increasing the total number to 82 points of spirits sales within the stadium. This would set a precedent for other sports and entertainment facilities around the state.

Last year, CenturyLink requested and was approved for a 2,000 person beer garden. Beer is available at approximately 400 points of sale within the stadium plus roving vendors.  In addition, alcohol is available at many bars and restaurants within a mile radius of the stadium.

The stadium is broken down into four areas of alcohol service:

• all levels sell beer and wine and are open three hours prior to game time, 
• level 1 includes two beer gardens that serve spirits,
• level 2 contains restricted club seats and suites that also serve spirits,
• level 3 also has a spirits garden.

CenturyLink’s request would allow fans to purchase one drink containing spirits per person and return to their seats with them.  (Right now, fans must drink spirits in a beer/spirits garden.) This would be available in every level except the 3rd level where most alcohol-fueled problems occur. CenturyLink claims the drinks contain 1.25 oz. of spirits in an 8 or 10 oz. container (less than 1 standard drink), so they are actually getting less alcohol than the large beer purchase. (Fans can purchase 2 beers per person.)

As CenturyLink seems to understand considering their request does not include level 3 of the stadium, alcohol contributes to public safety problems inside and outside of the stadium.  Here are some links to a KIRO investigation about violence at NFL stadiums:

http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/crime-inside-nfl-stadiums-hidden-police/nT9RP/

http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/centurylink-field-seeks-hard-liquor-fans/nWZzY/

CenturyLink was the subject of two high profile over-service violations, resulting in a fan beaten so severely that he had to be treated at Harborview. Neither of these incidents were referred to the Liquor Control Board.

Comments about CenturyLink's request can be made directly to the 3 Liquor Control Board members:

• Sharon Foster, Chair - sf@liq.wa.gov
• Chris Marr - cjm@liq.wa.gov
• Ruthann Kurose - rkuro@liq.wa.gov

Strong alcohol regulations save us money

While researchers continue to find that substance abuse prevention saves money (see yesterday's post), a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study adds to what we know about the high cost of excessive alcohol consumption. 

Underage drinking is included in the definition of excessive alcohol consumption.  According to the study, 12% of the economic costs of excessive consumption were related to underage drinking.  The largest share of underage drinking costs were related to "lost productivity" due to premature death. 

Here is part of CADCA's summary of the findings:

Excessive alcohol consumption is responsible for an average of 79,000 deaths and 2.3 million years of potential life lost in the United States each year, said CDC Director Thomas R. Frieden, M.D., M.P.H., in a press conference held Monday.

Researchers found the costs largely resulted from losses in workplace productivity (72 percent of the total cost), health care expenses for problems caused by excessive drinking (11 percent of the total cost), law enforcement and other criminal justice expenses related to excessive alcohol consumption (9 percent of the total cost), and motor vehicle crash costs from impaired driving (6 percent of the total cost). The study did not consider a number of other costs such as those due to pain and suffering by the excessive drinker or others who were affected by the drinking, and thus may be an underestimate. Researchers estimated that excessive drinking cost $746 per person in the United States in 2006.

“This research captures the reality that binge drinking means binge spending, not just for the person who drinks but for families, communities, and society,” Dr. Frieden said. “There are substantial costs to all of us in health care, the workplace, and criminal justice systems. Responsible individual behavior combined with the effective policies can decrease unhealthy drinking, reduce health care and other costs, and increase productivity.”

The authors of the study (published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, November 2011) conclude by saying, ". . . this study shows that the economic impact of excessive alcohol consumption is quite comparable to the economic impact of other leading health-risk behaviors, such as smoking and physical inactivity."  Among the policies they cite as being effective in preventing excessive consumption are increasing the price of alcohol, limiting alcohol outlet density, and keeping the legal drinking age of 21.  In other words, strong alcohol regulations can save us money.

Attorneys general advocate for tighter regulation of alcohol ads

Attorneys general from 24 states, including Washington, have asked the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to do more to shield teenagers from alcohol advertising. A letter, written by the Utah Attorney General and signed by colleagues from 23 other states, proposes a three-step plan to regulate teens’ exposure to alcohol ads.
The letter proposes that data collection from alcohol advertisers about how they advertise, sell and market alcohol be ongoing instead of intermittent. The attorneys general also recommend that advertising be barred when more than 15 percent of the audience is between the ages of 12 and 20, and that data about alcohol advertising be collected for digital and social media marketing, such as blogs and corporate-sponsored social media sites.

Underage drinking is a community problem that requires a community-wide solution.  The advocacy efforts of these attorneys general join a variety of activities being implemented in local communities and around the nation with the goal of preventing underage drinking.  Everyone has a role to play.

Chipping away at strong alcohol regulations that discourage underage drinking

Alcohol sure seems to be a hot topic in the Washington legislature.  In addition to SB 5917 that I blogged about yesterday that would allow for sales of hard alcohol in some urban grocery stores, lawmakers are considering/passing other legislation that chip away at alcohol regulations.

Legislature says: Drink up!  (Seattle PI): The state Senate on Tuesday passed House Bill 1465, which modifies liquor laws to, among other things, allow people to purchase “growlers” of beer from beer and wine specialty shops. “Growlers” are containers people bring into a business to be filled right from the tap. The Senate also passed House Bill 1172, which would allow some beer and wine tasting at farmer’s markets. And the chamber passed House Bill 1227 , which allows restaurants to waive “corkage” fees, which customers pay to drink wine they bring in themselves.

Meanwhile, a new budget plan released by the House includes a proposal to privatize the wholesale distribution of liquor in the state, while retaining control of retail sales through liquor stores. 

From an underage drinking prevention standpoint, this is not good news.  Check out the Resource Brief that the University of Washington's Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute developed during last year's debate about privatizing alcohol sales.  Findings from multiple studies show that:

-- Perceived availability of alcohol increases the probability of underage purchases and consumption of alcohol.

-- College students who attend schools in states with four or more alcohol control laws are less likely to drink than students in states with fewer laws. 

-- The more stringent the alcohol laws, especially laws affecting availability and marketing, the less likely young people are to drink and the higher the age of first use. 

While none of the legislation would fully privatize or deregulate alcohol, they certainly chip away at laws that help keep alcohol out of the hands of minors.

Alcohol regulation 101

A package of short briefs about alcohol regulation that arise during state legislative sessions or community meetings is available from the Campaign for a Healthy Alcohol Marketplace. It is designed for policy makers and others that need a short, straightforward explanation of regulatory issues.

Some of the titles are:

-- Why can’t alcohol be sold in a completely free market scenario?

-- What happened in countries that experimented with selling alcohol in a deregulated market?

-- Alcohol is a legal product, so why can’t it be sold like orange juice or any other legal product?

-- What does a good alcohol regulatory system look like?

-- Why are beer, wine and spirits regulated differently?

-- What is the problem with allowing more stores to sell alcohol?

A link to the briefs may be found under Issues Briefs on the Campaign's main web page.

Alcohol regulation 101

I came across the Campaign for a Healthy Alcohol Marketplace's website that does a good job at starting to explain why alcohol regulations are needed. Their March 2009 newsletter contains information about "What is a healthy alcohol marketplace" and "Washington State seeks to liberalize ownership".