Calif. Alcohol Industry Asked to Pay for Treatment October 29, 2003
News Summary
A bill introduced in the California legislature calls for alcohol producers to pay a fee that would support alcohol treatment and prevention programs for youth, the Contra Costa Times reported Oct. 29.The measure calls for alcohol producers to pay fees that would be based on the estimated revenue made coming from underage drinking -- 12 percent of total alcohol consumption, according to the state. "A lot of money is made on selling alcohol to underage drinkers," said Assemblywoman Wilma Chan (D-Oakland).
Chan plans to reintroduce the bill in January. Earlier this year, the same bill died in the Assembly Health Committee.
The alcohol industry said it would lobby heavily against the bill. A spokesman for the industry said that penalties should be toughened for those who allow minors to drink.
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