I-1183 would add to problems related to alcohol

I’ve been a firefighter in Pierce County for a long time, and I’ve seen a lot of families touched by alcohol-related tragedy. That’s why I’m asking you to reject Initiative 1183.

This measure would destroy the current controls over hard alcohol and sharply expand the number of retailers that can sell liquor. As an emergency first responder, I can tell you from experience that this measure puts our kids and families at risk.

We know that people drink more when liquor is more available, and some people drink too much. That’s why the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended against liquor privatization earlier this year. The public-health experts determined that privatization results in a nearly 50 percent increase in alcohol consumption, and that means more problem drinking.

Here’s another statistic: Alcohol kills more kids than any other drug combined, according to the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

There is no worse conversation than telling a family that their kid has been involved in an alcohol-related accident. There are no do-overs, no taking back the heartbreak that can last a lifetime.

I-1183 has a lot of unanswered questions, and some of them are basic, such as: How many minimarts and gas stations would be able to sell liquor? The state Office of Financial Management’s fiscal report on I-1183 estimates that there would be at least 1,400 liquor outlets under I-1183, but the fact is, nobody knows for sure.

Supporters say that only stores that are bigger than 10,000 square feet could get a license to sell hard alcohol. But the initiative contains a big loophole. It says that stores with less than 10,000 square feet can sell spirits if there is no other retailer selling hard alcohol in their “trade area.” But “trade area” is not defined. Is it across the street? A half-mile from another liquor store? A mile? We just don’t know, and that’s a risk we don’t want to take.

In compliance checks conducted by the state Liquor Control Board, grocery stores sell alcohol to minors in one out of four attempts. By comparison, our state liquor stores have one of the best enforcement rates in the country. When you have a lack of control, you have more teen drinking, more drunken drivers, more problems that impact our communities. That’s just common sense. What’s more, I-1183 doesn’t provide one penny for additional liquor compliance officers. There would still be about 50 liquor control officers for the state to make sure stores don’t sell to minors. That’s not enough.

We’ve had this debate before. I-1183 isn’t any better than the two liquor privatization initiatives we defeated last year. For our communities, let’s reject I-1183.

Dennis Lawson of Puyallup is a firefighter in Pierce County.