COVID-19 Alcohol Regulatory Relief Questioned

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Alcohol Justice Warns of #COVIDwashing

California ABC Goes Too Easy on Cocktails-to-Go

Public health and safety better served by raising alcohol taxes and retiring unused licenses, especially in over-saturated markets.

News provided by

Alcohol Justice

Apr 13, 2020, 15:00 ET

SAN RAFAEL, Calif., April 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Alcohol Justice made public today an open letter to Jacob Appelsmith, Director of the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. The letter outlines eleven serious concerns associated with the agency's two recent "regulatory relief" actions that clearly place alcohol industry profits above public health and safety concerns.

#COVIDwashing: The alcohol industry is using the Corona virus crisis to push for deregulation for the sake of corporate profits. Alcohol annually kills 3 million worldwide. The world would be better served with tougher regulations and less alcohol.

"We understand the intense pressure placed on the agency to preserve jobs and protect profits," stated Bruce Lee Livingston, Executive Director / CEO, Alcohol Justice. "But truth be told, the ABC has the mission not just to monitor and enforce the state's liquor laws, but to use its powers to promote "temperance" -- by reducing consumption and promoting public health and safety. There is nothing in the agency's recent regulation-relaxing documents that addresses the public health and safety threats in their emergency changes to public policy."

Read the complete letter here: https://bit.ly/2RuoWBl