Three tiers securing safety of our alcohol

Source: http://www.journalgazette.net/

Jim Purucker

March 24th

Jim Purucker is the executive director of the Wine and Spirits Distributors of Indiana.

Many Hoosiers are celebrating their kids’ spring break, while others are counting down the days until their break begins.

It’s an age-old tradition to travel during this time of the year. But in 2018, as families and college students have been making their plans, they’ve done so with some frightening headlines shaping them:

“Mexico police shut down second black market tequila operation, investigate if tainted alcohol headed to resorts”

“State Department begins tracking alcohol-related incidents in Mexico”

Mexico isn’t alone in earning this bad publicity, though. In the past few years, deaths from contaminated alcohol have been reported in Indonesia, China, Poland and Russia. Methanol – the primary ingredient in windshield wiper fluid – has been reportedly found in some alcohol outside of the U.S.

It leads you to wonder, why don’t these things happen here?

According to the Campaign for a Healthy Alcohol Marketplace, we have few problems with counterfeit and tainted alcohol because of our state-based, three-tier alcohol regulatory system.

The constitutional amendment that repealed Prohibition gave states the authority to regulate alcohol.

Most, including Indiana, adhere to an effective system that requires alcohol to be sold through three separate market tiers: manufacturers/suppliers, local distributors and retailers.

This closed distribution system helps prevent adulterated and contaminated products from reaching consumers because alcohol is required to go from a licensed manufacturer to a licensed distributor to a licensed retailer.

Our system of controlled manufacturing, distribution and sales of alcohol in Indiana and throughout the country has worked so well that we often take it for granted.

Clearly, it’s wise to think twice when someone challenges the three-tier system because they simply want to make more money.

We only have to look to our neighbors to the south to know how good our system is.

As Hoosiers are enjoying their spring break and legislators are returning home following the end of this year’s session, we’d like to thank the many lawmakers who continue to stand up for the health and safety of our families by digging in and supporting an appropriately strong and state-based system of alcohol regulation.