Those opposed to eliminating Pennsylvania’s liquor stores have long argued that privatization will only lead to increased consumption and all the ills and horrors that comes with it. Up until this point, most wrote it off as Prohibition-era poppycock. But according to Newsworks, a new study conducted by The Task Force on Community Preventive Services, an independent group put together by the Centers for Disease Control, shows that there just might be some truth to the age-old claim. Based on careful review of privatization efforts in the US, Canada and Europe, the task force found that privatization brings more liquor stores, longer hours, more aggressive marketing and a drive to always increase profits. In turn that can drive alcohol consumption up by as much as 50 percent. Based on the task force’s recommendations, the think tank Keystone Research Center is calling for the state to back off selling the state’s liquor stores to the private sector. [Newsworks]
