Local alcohol restrictions may be responsible for the rise of a bootleg culture in some Alaska towns, the BBC reported Oct. 8.

Alaska's system of local referenda has resulted in many communities choosing to restrict alcohol sales, partially in response to the history of alcohol abuse among native people in the state.

In Barrow in northern Alaska, for example, residents must purchase a permit that costs $50 a year, order alcohol from Fairbanks, 500 miles away, and then pay for the purchase to be flown to Barrow. Additionally, there are strict quotas governing how much alcohol can be received monthly. Each individual is allowed six bottles of spirits, 26 bottles of wine and five cases of beer.

The result is a thriving illegal market in bootleg alcohol, said Leon Boyea, Barrow's police captain. "You get people who have a full order, keep some for themselves, and then sell the rest," he said.

Excessive drinking has helped make Alaska a dubious leader in crimes like domestic violence and sexual assault. "Alcohol is the drug of choice on the North Slope," Boyea said.

While admitting that there are major problems in the community, Gail Reed, deputy director of behavioral health for North Slope Borough Council, expressed some optimism. "I see a maturing of the community where there's less ambivalence about the harm and damage of drugs and alcohol," she said, adding that their has been an upsurge in "honest conversation about alcohol abuse and all that goes along with that, the domestic violence, chaotic families, putting children at risk."

The local police, however, fear that drinking is on the rise and the reported cases of alcohol-related crimes and bootlegging remain a serious concern.