Monday, October 28, 2019 2900 S. Quincy St., Suite 800 Arlington, VA 22206 www.nabca.org

• State Sen. Orr vows to renew push to take State of Alabama out of retail sales • Historic Soda Rock winery destroyed as Kincade fire has country under siege TODAY’S • Canada: Do we need a federal Alcohol Act in Canada to better regulate the substance? HIGHLIGHTS • Taking direct consumer wine distribution to a new level • What’s the drinking age on international flights?

CONTROL STATE NEWS The release said during the 2019 Oregon Legislation session, bills were introduced about wine labeling, fruit OR: New Wine Council Forms In Oregon sales outside Oregon, purity standards and creating new licensure laws. One of those was SB111, which was News, Radio 1240 KQEN sponsored by the Oregon Winegrowers Association. It By Kyle Bailey October 28, 2019 was the catalysis for opposition according to the release. It said that the coalition that defeated the legislation is A new wine organization has begun in Oregon. now the OWC. The release said the group believes that The Oregon Wine Council has formed with a board of the OWA “has not represented our best interests, nor the directors and members representing the wine industry interests of the statewide wine industry”. statewide. A release from the OWC said the group Find out more about the new organization by going to formed “from the coalition who defended the wine www.oregonwinecouncil.org. Tuesday’s Inside Douglas industry from anti-competitive wine legislation during County on News Radio 1240 KQEN will focus on the the 2019 Oregon legislature”. The release said they group. Dyson DeMara of Hillcrest Vineyards, and Scott represent growers, producers and businesses supporting Kelley of Paul O’Brien Winery, two members of the the wine industry and are focused on “uniting the wine OWC’s Board of Directors will be interviewed. industry and speaking with one voice”.

Co-Chair Elin Miller, Owner of Umpqua Vineyard LLC, said “we are really pleased with the support and how much of AL: State Sen. Orr vows to renew push to take State of the wine industry in Oregon has already joined us”. Miller Alabama out of retail alcohol sales said most of the large producers have joined the group Yellow Hammer along with smaller producers statewide. She said the By Jeff Poor OWC has already met with the Governor, the head of the October 27, 2019 Oregon Liquor Control Commission, and key policy One of the last remaining vestiges of America’s failed leaders. Miller said the group is “united the industry”. experiment with the of alcohol of the 1930s The release said the OWC is calling for no-new wine is Alabama state government’s 170 Alcoholic Beverage specific legislation in the 2020 short session of the Control (ABC) stores, which the state uses to compete Legislature. The Council has been actively reaching out to with the private sector in the retail sale of liquor. leaders of regional wine associations with that demand, State Sen. Arthur Orr (R-Decatur) has tried on numerous according to the release. OWC Co-Chair Ken Johnston, occasions to end that arrangement with legislation that COO of Winemakers LLC, said “harvest this year has been would privatize the ABC Board’s retail sales. Previously, tough statewide and made our point as to why we Orr insisted the state could generate just as much income opposed SB111”. He said when harvest is low in the through privatization by eliminating the overhead. Willamette Valley, those growers need the Umpqua and However, such efforts have not been successful. the Rogue Valley’s grapes and vice versa. He said “we have to find police solutions that are good for everyone, During an appearance on this week’s “Capitol Journal” on not just one region, We’re all in this together”. Alabama Public Television, Orr told host Don Dailey he 2

intends to give it another try in next year’s upcoming process is completely legal, and is a result of the limited legislative session. number of licenses the ABC Board allows per city. Fletcher said he bought his from the now-shuttered “I’m going to tilt at that windmill continually,” Orr said. “I Romano’s. He has no plans of making the brewery into a think it is a thing we need to do. I chuckle, but it’s serious. full bar, or even serving hard liquor, but that license I think the state has no business being in the retail sales opens up what people can do inside the taproom. of alcohol. If we were designing state government today, Don, would we think, ‘Well, let’s get into the retail sales “I mean we can play silly things like games,” he said. “For of anything,’ for that matter of alcohol? But then, have some reason games are illegal, so you can’t even have a the private sector down the street that we’re competing deck of cards or anything like that.” against. So, it’s been tried before. And I’m perhaps a little The ABC Board has previously said these different stubborn and am going to keep trying. I think we’re going restrictions reflect the legislature’s intent to classify to come with something different this time, and we’re breweries as manufacturers rather than retailers. going to see where we go.” Fletcher doesn’t like the comparison. Orr did not divulge specifics of his 2020 effort, only saying “We’re not trying to become a bar,” Fletcher said. “I’m it is “substantially different” from what has been tried in never going to serve hard alcohol. We’re not gonna stay the past. open until two in the morning.” LICENSE STATE NEWS He made it clear, though, he doesn't hate bars. “At the end of the day, I don’t want it to seem like I’m AK: Why a brewery that won't serve liquor bought a against the bars or anything,” he said. “I support everyone who has a local business.” KTUU NBC 2 By Matt Leseman October 27, 2019 WI: causing “significant number” of deaths in the state ANCHORAGE (KTUU) - Anchorage brewing company is seeing some changes to its taproom. The company’s WIS Business recently acquired liquor license went into effect last October 28, 2019 Tuesday, and owner Gabe Fletcher says that opens up Binge drinking in Wisconsin costs more than $2.6 billion some new options. in lost productivity each year, a recent study from the “It allows to just have a little more freedom with our UW Population Health Institute shows. business, and do the kinds of things that we want to do,” According to Julia Sherman, project coordinator for the Fletcher said. “Like stay open later. We can serve more Wisconsin Alcohol Policy Project, binge drinking causes than three 12-ounce .” “a significant number” of alcohol deaths in the state. Fletcher bought the full liquor license as Alaska’s Alcohol “You lose their productivity for the rest of their life,” she and Marijuana Control Office considers regulations that told WisBusiness.com. “We lose years of productivity.” would restrict what kinds of events can happen at breweries without a full license. Overall, binge drinking in the state costs nearly $4 billion per year — around $666 per state resident, the report “Most of those restrictions were already there,” Fletcher shows. Wisconsin’s binge drinking rate in 2018 was 24 said. “They were just trying to make them more strict.” percent, compared to 16 percent for the U.S. median. While Fletcher didn’t want to discuss the price he paid for As defined by the report, published earlier this month, his license, he said they typically run in the range of binge drinking is five or more per occasion for $250,000-$300,000. The reason there isn’t an exact price men, and four or more drinks for women. is because they’re bought and sold on a secondary market. Aside from lost productivity — which contributes nearly two-thirds of the total cost — criminal justice costs “A lot of people don’t realize that the price of a liquor related to binge drinking were $560 million in 2018, and license is a price,” he said. “It’s not a price related health care costs were $380 million. set up by the [Alcoholic Beverage Control Board.]” Sherman said more people die from alcohol-related Companies looking to pick one up often need to buy it injuries than from diseases related to drinking. That’s from another bar, usually one going out of business. This 3 why the lost productivity figure is so much higher than They note that alcohol tax revenue last year was $60.9 related costs for health care. million in Wisconsin — less than 2 percent of the total cost of binge drinking. “Alcohol-related diseases push up medical costs, but acute injuries — especially those that lead to death — “Binge drinking is a serious community problem, and it’s relate to reductions in productivity,” she said. going to take efforts by the public sector and private sector — which has a huge role in helping with workplace Aside from alcohol-related absenteeism, Sherman said prevention,” she said. “They also have a lot to gain. It’s “presenteeism” is also a drag on productivity. That factor going to take community engagement as well.” captures the effect of people being impaired at work. On top of that, lost productivity due to hospital stays and The report was funded by a grant from the Substance incarceration plays a role, as well as secondary impacts Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to the on other people. state Department of Health Services. The UW Population Health Institute is part of the UW School of Medicine and “If you are in a car crash due to a drunk driver, your Public Health. productivity may go down,” she said. Sherman said the report was crafted with a standardized Binge drinking contributed to more than 79,000 method used by the Centers for Disease Control and hospitalizations last year, as well as nearly 25,000 arrests Prevention as well as other states. for driving under the influence, and just under 2,500 alcohol-related deaths, the report reveals. Along with state-level figures on the economic burden of binge drinking, the report also breaks down findings on a It shows excessive drinking contributed to more than county-by-county basis. It shows that significant 6,000 alcohol-related car crashes, and over 1,800 variation in drinking rates exists between various underage drinking violations. Last year, more than 7,200 counties in Wisconsin. people were in an alcohol-related treatment program. See the full report: http://uwphi.pophealth.wisc.edu/wp- Aside from lost productivity — which contributes nearly content/uploads/sites/316/2019/10/The-Burden-of- two-thirds of the total cost — criminal justice costs Binge-Drinking-in-Wisconsin-Full-Report-2.pdf related to binge drinking were $560 million in 2018, and related health care costs were $380 million. The rest of the cost is associated with car crashes and CA: Historic Soda Rock winery destroyed as Kincade fire other consequences, including fires and special has wine country under siege education for children born with fetal alcohol syndrome. Los Angeles Times Across all age ranges for adults in the state, the estimated By Anita Chabria, Dakota Smith, Colleen Shalby prevalence of binge drinking is well above the U.S. October 27, 2019 median — particularly in the age range of 25-44, which HEALDSBURG, Calif. — The Kincade fire had Sonoma has a prevalence of 35 percent, compared to 23 percent County wine country under seige Sunday, burning for the rest of the country. And both men and women in buildings in the famed Alexander Valley and destroying the state binge at higher rates than the U.S. the Soda Rock winery. median. “We’ve seen the news. We are devastated,” Soda Rock Sherman explained that binge drinking in the state has posted on Facebook. “We don’t have much information, been level for about a decade, with no significant but we will update you as soon as we know anything. Our increase or decrease among adults. But at the same time, staff is safe—right now what is most important is the underage drinking has been falling. She chalks that up to safety of the first responders battling the fire. Thank you a “serious effort” to prevent or reduce underage everyone for your concern.” drinking, but notes there’s been no such effort aimed at binge drinking for adults. The stone-walled winery is considered a major historic site in the Alexander Valley and a popular tourist The report shows about 41 percent of the total binge destination. drinking cost, or $1.6 billion is paid by the government, including local, state and federal entities. The rest is “Soda Rock is the original site of the Alexander Valley shouldered by drinkers themselves, as well as their general store and post office, and was once the central families and society at large, report authors said. hub of activity for the valley. Historic records provide evidence of the first bonded winery on this property in 1880,” the winery said on its website. 4

The site said the current owners were in the process of a Steve Donohue, managing director of Endeavour Drinks painstaking restoration of the historic parts of the said Davidson is property. well known in the business for being “an authentic leader The fire hopscotched the area, burning some homes and who enables his teams to achieve outstanding results” structures and sparing others. and said he looks forward to the contribution he will make. Fire officials said Sunday morning that the fire jumped Highway 128 and moved into the Alexander Valley region “The team at BWS has worked hard to set new standards around 4 a.m. in convenience and service to meet changing customer needs over recent years,” Donohue said. There is worry that it could jump Highway 101 between Healdsburg and Windsor. “We’re delighted to have a leader of Scott’s calibre join BWS to help us continue raising the bar for our Fire officials have deployed resources in an attempt to customers.” prevent that, but if the fire does cross the freeway it would enter a narrow buffer zone of flat agricultural land Last month, Endeavour Drinks acquired leading McLaren mostly used to grow grapes before reaching a dense Vale winery Chapel Hill from Swiss corporation Permafix, mountainous region of old-growth redwood that prompting the creation of a new wine division as part of Sonoma County Sheriff Mark Essick said was difficult Endeavour’s Pinnacle Drinks business. terrain to reach but sparsely populated.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS Canada: P.E.I. Liqour Control Commission raises minimum sale price of alcohol Australia: Endeavour Drinks appoints Countdown exec 1st time minimum price has changed in 15 years to lead BWS CBC News Inside Retail By Travis Kingdon By Ruth Hogan October 28, 2019 October 28, 2019 The P.E.I. Liquor Control Commission has raised the Woolworths Group is strengthening its drinks arm ahead minimum price that alcohol can be sold for on the Island. of a proposed divestment from the group in 2020, with On Sept. 17, the minimum selling price of alcohol was one of its experienced supermarket leaders appointed to raised to $3.05 before taxes. After taxes, the minimum lead BWS. price comes to $3.50. Scott Davidson will take up the position of managing The price applies to standard single-serving sizes set by director of the liquor retail chain in January 2020, after the commission — 341 millilitres of or coolers, 142 two years as general manager of buying and merchandise millilitres of wine and 42.6 millilitres of spirits. at Countdown Supermarkets. Prior to the increase, the minimum price before taxes Davidson’s career with Woolworths Group spans almost was $2 for beer and spirits and $3 for wine and coolers, a 15 years, with experience in merchandising across fresh government spokesperson said in an email. food, grocery food and liquor. This is the first time that the minimum cost of alcohol has His appointment comes ahead of an extraordinary been adjusted on the Island in over 15 years, Jamie general meeting on December 16, in which shareholders MacLeod, acting CEO of the commission, said in an email. will be asked to consider stage one of the proposal to merge and separate Woolworths’ drinks and hospitality Prices for draft beer are subject to a different minimum businesses as Endeavour Group. price. The PEILCC was going to increase the minimum price of draft beer to match the new $3.50 price tag. Endeavour Drinks has been actively searching for a new leader for BWS since Woolworths Group confirmed the But, MacLeod said that increase has been deferred as appointment of Guy Brent as managing director of they want to consult with other provinces and territories FoodCo and Metro in July this year. before adjusting the price on P.E.I. The minimum price for draft remains at $1.25 per 236.6 millilitres of beer, Davidson will focus on driving ultra-convenience and before HST. customer-first ranging and renewals across the 1300+ store network. This pricing is in line with recommendations from the Canadian Institute of Substance Use Research in order to 5 assist in reducing alcohol-related harm and cost, a We have strong legislation and regulation governing government spokesperson said in an email. tobacco and cannabis sales, marketing and labelling, but the federal government has been asleep at the wheel for Not worried years on alcohol policy. Meanwhile, some provincial MacLeod said the PEILCC is only responsible for setting governments are aggressively loosening restrictions and the minimum price that has to be charged by bars and lowering prices. restaurants on the Island. From there, restaurants and From a public health and safety perspective, this makes bars can charge what they wish. absolutely no sense. In 2018, using a Health Canada- Dan MacDougall, the owner of Outriders Cookhouse in funded study, we estimated each year some 15,000 Charlottetown, said the increase in price doesn't concern deaths, 90,000 hospital admissions and 240,000 years of him, and he said he doesn't think most consumers will life lost are directly attributable to alcohol use. notice a difference. Along with impacts on productivity and crime, the annual "What affects our regular prices is actually our cost that economic toll of $15 billion was greater than that from we pay to get our product," he said. "Just like anything either tobacco use or from cannabis, opioids and all else if the cost of our product goes up our prices will go illegal substances combined. On the other side of the up. ledger, federal and provincial governments collected less "But the minimum price that we can charge it doesn't than $11 billion in revenues from alcohol in the same affect our actual regular pricing." year. MacDougall said the only time consumers might notice Canadians kept in the dark the increase is when restaurants offer cheap drink The World Health Organization has classified alcohol as a specials in order to attract customers. Class 1 carcinogen, along with asbestos and tobacco, for But, in MacDougall's experience, consumer preferences decades. However, surveys find that only one third of have changed when it comes to alcohol on the Island. Canadians are aware of this risk. He said the restaurant used to sell "about 50/50 food to Our attempt to study the value of placing this beverages," but now he said that has shifted to "about 75 information on warning labels in government liquor to 25 food to beverages." stores in the Yukon was shut down in late 2017 following veiled legal threats from alcohol producers. The Yukon "It's more about getting a quality product and enjoying it, government backed down and the cancer labels were than to overindulge," he said. removed. "It's just a different kind of atmosphere in bars these days Since then, the federal government has taken no action than it was even 10,15 years ago." to help inform consumers about the cancer risk from alcohol, to offer guidelines for low-risk drinking or even

provide information that is required on all food and drink Canada: Do we need a federal Alcohol Act in Canada to products — such as calorie content, serve sizes or better regulate the substance? nutritional information. This is despite the fact that Research estimates that each year some 15,000 deaths, 90,000 another one of our recent studies found that Canadian hospital admissions and 240,000 years of life lost are directly drinkers consumed 11 per cent of their daily calories in attributable to alcohol use the form of alcohol. Kitchener News The Conversation The federal Liberal government recently woke up to the October 27, 2019 fact they were losing a fortune in tax revenues by not adjusting alcohol excise tax rates each year to the cost of This article, written by Tim Stockwell, University of living. Victoria, originally appeared on The Conversation and is republished here with permission: In late 2017, despite strenuous opposition from industry groups, they passed legislation to ensure alcohol excise With the opioid overdose crisis, concern about teens taxes were adjusted to keep up with the cost of living for using electronic cigarettes and our fascination with the the first time since 1986. Alcohol industry lobbyists have legalization of cannabis, our most dangerous legal drug attempted to mislead the public by characterizing these continues to be ignored by Canadian policy-makers. small indexed rises as “tax hikes” when they are simply maintaining the value of these taxes at the same level. 6

In a soon-to-be-released report, we estimate that the It’s time for our next federal government to step up with federal government has lost at least $10.5 billion by an Alcohol Act and a national strategy to reduce the failing to adjust alcohol taxes with inflation. As a result, harms from what continues to be our favourite, but most alcohol consumption is now about four per cent higher, costly, recreational drug. leading to over 300 extra preventable deaths and almost Tim Stockwell, Director, Canadian Institute for Substance Use 4,000 preventable hospitalizations per year. Research and Professor of Psychology, University of Victoria Death and (alcohol) taxes While talking of taxes may cause one’s eyes to glaze over, INDUSTRY NEWS the real-world implications are deadly. One yawning Taking direct consumer wine distribution to a new level loophole in the tax system encourages the manufacture, Following a similar model to Netflix, HBO and others in the film sale and consumption of cheap coolers — such as a malt- industry, Wine Access, is now partnering with established based product with the perhaps appropriate name of winemakers to produce their own exclusive . FCKDUP that contributed to the tragic death of a 14-year- SF Examiner old girl last year. This product had an 11.9 per cent By Lyle Norton alcohol content, delivering more than four standard October 27, 2019 drinks in one 568-millilitre container, retailing at less than a dollar per . As the largest wine consumers on the planet, the trend of direct to consumer distribution has exploded In the aftermath of this tragedy, there was little throughout California and other states, not only as a discussion of the reason for this low price and hence business platform for individual wineries, but through attractiveness to teenagers: it was taxed at the same rate on-line sites such as wine.com, wineaccess.com as beer without any regard for alcoholic strength because klwines.com, winepress.com, among a few. One site, beer taxes in Canada are “flat” — they do not increase as Wine Access has taken it to the next level by partnering alcohol content increases. with California vintners to create and distribute wines Time for an Alcohol Act exclusively through new labels. There is no federal Alcohol Act in Canada, unlike the case For more than two decades, Wine Access has developed with cannabis, tobacco and illegal substances. a reputation as a source to discover premium wines at reasonable prices from global regions like Bordeaux, Doubtless political parties campaigning in our Tuscany and the Napa Valley. For example, the site forthcoming federal election will make all manner of recently offered a highly rated Super Tuscan release, the policy commitments for getting tough on vaping nicotine, 2017 Le Volte Toscana Rosso, from the famed Ornellaia which is associated with no known deaths in Canada. estate for under $20 and, for more discerning palates and We’ve already seen various campaign promises being pocketbooks, listed the Chateau Pontet-Canet 2010 made on how to tackle the opioid overdose crisis. And Grand Cru Classe, Pauillac ($280). while the death toll from this crisis is indeed grim, protecting Canadians’ health and safety would be at least Following a similar model to Netflix, HBO and others in as equally well-served by a comprehensive set of the film industry, Wine Access, is now partnering with evidence-based strategies and laws to mitigate the more established winemakers to produce their own exclusive substantial but overlooked harms from alcohol. wines. I like the concept because it incentivizes the producer to avoid anything that resembles routine or As we recommended in our evaluation of federal alcohol normal. In this case, “Good is the enemy of great” and policies earlier this year, a national strategy needs to be awareness of high consumer exceptions pushes those developed independently from alcohol industry interests involved to create something notable. to ensure consumers are informed about risks and harm reduction strategies, that prices reflect alcohol strength Each collaboration is a win-win venture that provides and advertising codes apply to the new digital media. opportunities for each that would not be available otherwise. These projects are only focused on small For too long, complacency and a strong industry voice production and exclusivity intended to provide has led to a lack of effective policies and supporting innovative releases at reasonable value to customers. legislation around alcohol in Canada. Canadians deserve Those who find visual appeal in wine bottles will be to be informed about alcohol’s risks and to have pleased to hear the Gauge Branding, home to an evidence-based regulations and laws to reduce these. impressive resume of artistic labels, is another collaborator on the projects. 7

The first offering is a collaboration between Julien Winemaking at Atelier Melka, he has worked with the Fayard, an experienced winemaker in Bordeaux and the prestigious Screaming Eagle as well as pursuing his own Napa Valley, to create the fruit-forward Idiosyncrasy brands. Wine Access has announced that their next 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon ($43-48), sourced from venture is to oversee and document the production of vineyards throughout the valley. another exclusive wine , a 2019 cabernet sauvignon project with Koschitzky. A French native, Fayard began his career in Bordeaux, working for such esteemed estates as Chateau Lafite For both serious wine drinkers and those looking to Rothschild. Re- locating to the Napa Valley in 2006, he develop their palates, the new Wine Access partnerships worked as an assistant to winemaker Philippe Melka and offers occasion to explore the artistic side of winemaking. soon was embarking on his own projects, including Purlieu and Le Pich wines and refining a self-described DAILY NEWS “meticulous and low intervention” style. TTB News (excerpt) Beginning with expressive fruit on the nose, I found Fayard’s description of the vintage 2016 of “ripe and TTB seductive” to be accurate. It’s rich mouthfeel, soft October 25, 2019 tannins and complex flavors make it an exceptional WHEN DISASTER STRIKES value. If your business has been impacted by a natural disaster, Tim Milos is a consulting winemaker who has worked you may be eligible for a waiver of late filing, payment, with numerous California wineries including Opus One or deposit penalties. You may also qualify for a refund of and Hidden Ridge Vineyard in the Spring Mountain alcohol or tobacco excise tax on damaged product. District where he literally changed the landscape. His cabernet sauvignon releases from the estate were so Read our latest feature story for more information: highly rated (some 100-pt) and profitable that a When Disaster Strikes corporate decision was made to focus exclusively on one COMMON ERRORS ON BEER/MALT BEVERAGE LABELS – grape to the demise of the existing chardonnay vines. NET CONTENTS STATEMENT Milos partnered with Wine Access to create Appliqué One of the most common problems we see on beer/malt 2016 Sonoma County Chardonnay, the swan song of the beverage labels that causes us to have to send those varietal from the hilltop vineyards that had previously COLA applications back for correction is that the net provided the terroir for it to thrive. Like its namesake, this contents are stated incorrectly on the label. dry release features complex, layered flavors that would appeal to a broad range of palates, especially those who Here’s a chart to help you know how the mandatory net appreciate good Sonoma County chardonnay. contents statement has to appear: Winemaker Britt Nichols is no stranger to Wine Access. NEW TTB ACTING DESIGNATIONS The wines from her Nichols and more recent Kinfolk The TTB Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2018 – 2022 is a brands were created exclusively for and distributed great source of information not only about our mission, through the site. Now, she and Ry Richards are vision, and values, but also about our current strategic collaborating together and with Wine Access for the goals, which outline our high-level strategic vision and Napa Valley Kinfolk 2018 Sauvignon Blanc ($15-25), priorities. sourced from multiple vineyards, half from what was We’re half-way through our five-year plan, but we described as “one of the most famous and awarded remain strongly committed to working towards these vineyards in the entire state”. important goals. We encourage you to take the time to Defined as an “everyday” wine with vibrant aromas, layer review the plan in order to learn about our goals and the flavors, minerality and available at a reasonable price, strategies that we are employing to achieve them. this wine is intriguing and I look forward to the research TTB Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2018 – 2022 required to develop my own opinion.

As with many of the collaborators, Maayan Koschitzky is a well- known consulting winemaker mostly for high-end, small production cult-style wineries. Currently serving as

Director of 8

Prohibition 100 Years Later: Why The US Is An Outlier On than end smoking. They have jumped on illnesses and Vaping And What We Can Learn From Alcohol deaths caused by black market vaping products with calls to ban legal products with consistency in their quality and Science 2.0 By Hank Campbell drive people toward ... the black market. October 28, 2019 E-cigarettes trounce gums and patches because they are It's no secret to anyone who even modest command of grass roots, not Big Pharma history that America has long meant freedom. Every The first electronic cigarette was invented in the 1980s oppressed religion moved here, to the one country that by one of the researchers who also invented the nicotine did not have a national religion, separating it from the patch, but it wasn't until a Chinese chemist vaporized Anglican Church (imagine if the President got to approve nicotine in 2003 that they really took off. The thinking the Bishop of Pittsburgh!) or any of the countries in the was sound; everyone knew it wasn't the nicotine that Holy Roman Empire. was harmful, it was the cigarette smoke. Yet nicotine is a That didn't stop religions that moved here from engaging factor in addiction, and another key aspect is behavior. in their own oppression. Though Arabia and its allied Gums and patches satisfy the nicotine desire but are poor countries feel like we are way too liberal, with not replacements for the social signals - that is why those are stoning gay people and letting women drive, to no more effective than hypnosis. E-cigarettes were a step Europeans we are way too oppressed and conservative. closer to satisfying the nicotine craving and mimicking That's because most of the Puritans and more stoic the behavior while eliminating 200 toxic carcinogens in religions from Europe moved here. During the Salem smoke. witch trials, Puritans were clearly targeting those easiest They took off among the smoking cessation community - to demonize, and their influence is still felt when it comes people who wanted to quit smoking. Former smokers to smokers and the "repent or die" mentality about don't trust Big Pharma any more than they trust Big nicotine. Tobacco, they did not want Johnson & Johnson or RJ A hundred years ago today, the Volstead Act introduced Reynolds in control. They did not want the taste of Prohibition - a ban on alcohol. And while the Democrats tobacco because it reminded them of cigarettes so they behind it can say they were right (it did reduce alcohol did what the alcohol industry did and introduced flavors. consumption) it also created millions of "casual Over time, many former smokers weaned themselves off criminals" and very rich real ones. Organized crime of nicotine became part of every community, health hazards due to Banning vaping because of hating tobacco is like wanting black market booze exploded. to kill Stevia because you hate Coca-Cola. Results in UK But data showed they were right in banning it, they and Japan show vaping is the best way to get rid of noted. Alcohol was not completely safe, they said, and it cigarette companies but in America we lump them all in was addictive. Young people thought it was cool to rebel as Big Tobacco. using it. Companies created flavors people like. Matt Ridley notes in the Wall Street Journal that the U.K Therefore it had to be banned for everyone. learned the lessons of Prohibition a lot better than You can see a lot of similarities in the modern arguments America did. Because they acknowledge its health against vaping. How dare companies make a product benefits, they regulate it, and because they didn't get people with flavors people want instead of selling pure Puritan about it, they did not make it cool among kids. nicotine? Anti-vaping groups concede it might be safer In 2015 I sent an employee to the White House to try and than cigarettes but it is not safe. We have to ban it for the convinced the Obama administration their children. scaremongering approach was wrong. At the time, there We now know that Prohibition was a spectacular failure were so few "nicotine naive" (had never smoked but we clearly didn't learn much from alcohol then or cigarettes) people in vaping that the government marijuana 50 years later. Our modern Puritans, with the dismissed our beliefs that a government campaign American Lung Association and Tobacco Free Kids taking against it would make it a cool rebellion thing. The the place of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, government ignored our data and began its "Reefer have an irrational hold on our Centers for Disease Madness" tactics and now claim that the evil vaping Control, who have shown their compliance by accepting business is targeting kids. any methodologically poor survey that can be massaged to fit their goal - and the goal is to ban nicotine rather 9

There are unethical stores, and always were, which is Study authors found that an extra 3.61 years of school why we argued for a constructive regulatory process. was associated with approximately 50 percent reduced Instead of adopting that approach, the government risk of . started treating everyone like criminals. Furthermore, researchers concluded that those who The Volstead Act turns 100 years old today but because completed more years of school were also less likely to we have chosen to learn lessons from its history, we are have memory loss while drinking and were less likely to dooming ourselves to repeating them yet again. The consume alcoholic beverages like beer, cider and distilled Puritans would be pleased we have found new witches to spirits. burn. Also, the study found that beer and spirit drinkers were at an increased risk of drug use and alcohol dependence. Every Four Extra Years of Education Reduces Risks of Dr Falk Lohoff of the National Institutes of Health, who Binge Drinking by 50%, Says Study was one of the authors of the study, revealed that it is Researchers found that men and women who completed important to understand that the genetic variants school were also more likely to consume wine, while those who allowed them to investigate the possible effect of did not, were seen to drink more distilled spirits, beer and cider education on alcohol consumption and dependence; it in comparison. did not mean that the educational attainment of a person News 18 could not be modified. October 28, 2019 Researchers concluded that the study suggests that A new study now finds that not finishing education can increasing educational attainment may be a useful target turn a person into a binge drinker. Researchers have for prevention programs against problematic alcohol use. deduced that people who have done an extra four years of school were 50 percent less likely to become alcoholics. What’s the drinking age on international flights? According to a story published in Daily Mail, researchers MSN found that men and women who completed school were By Sid Lipsey also more likely to consume wine, while those who did October 28, 2019 not, were seen to drink more distilled spirits, beer and MSN has partnered with The Points Guy for our coverage cider in comparison. of credit card products. MSN and The Points Guy may Study experts say this is not measured so much by the receive a commission from card issuers. amount they drank over the course of their lives, but the This month marks the 70th anniversary of an event that fact that they binge drank more frequently. changed flying as we know it. But if you want to mark this According to the team from National Institutes of Health, seminal moment in aviation, you probably won’t find an the findings suggest that promoting education could observance at the National Air and Space Museum. thus, be a useful tool in public health campaigns that Instead, try an airport bar. warn against the ill effects of alcohol dependence and In October 1949, Northwest Airlines became the first abuse. airline to serve alcohol aboard its flights. Since then, the For the study, published in the journal Molecular preflight drink in first class, the free beverage on an Psychiatry, the team recruited about 780,000 men and international flight and the post-dinner nightcap have women. become enduring (although sometimes problematic) rituals of flying. Researchers looked at 53 genetic variants on whether they were linked with non-completion of school and in If you’re old enough to partake. the second half, they looked at genes which were present Since that first in-flight drink was poured during the in the DNA of the people who reported . Truman Administration, the minimum According to the results, genes linked to completing in the United States has gone from 18 years old in some more school years was not associated and did not affect states to a nationwide standard of 21. But as almost any total amount of alcohol people drank in a week. American college student who’s studied abroad can tell However, it was linked to less total binge drinking. you, many other countries still cling to that lower drinking age of 18. 10

That poses an interesting question for teen travelers: At “For any international flights, ANA follows the rule of law what age can a young adult passenger legally imbibe in Japan with the legal drinking age being 20 years old for while flying outside of the United States? Can an 18-year- our passengers,” a spokesperson for Tokyo-based All old American enjoy a gin and tonic while flying overseas? Nippon Airways told TPG. The Points Guy contacted several airlines to find out. Finnair has an even more complicated drinking age that’s Turns out, the answer — involving the intersection of law based on what you’re drinking. The Finland-based carrier and policy at 30,000 feet over multiple borders — is tells TPG that passengers between the ages of 18 and 21 complicated. can only buy drinks onboard that are less than 22% alcohol. That covers most beers and wines. For the hard If you’re under 21, U.S. carriers are a no-drinking zone stuff — drinks that are 22% alcohol or more — Finnair’s The FAA doesn’t police in-flight drinking, but airlines drinking age is a very American 21. certainly do and typically follow the laws of the country The bottom line in which they’re based. For travelers, that means no matter the drinking age of the country you’re in or over If you’re under 21 and want to drink on an airplane or en route to a U.S.-based airline won’t serve alcohol to traveling outside the U.S., you’re out of luck if you’re any passenger under 21. flying on United, Delta, American or any other U.S.-based airline. But yes, you can find lower drinking ages on some “As a U.S.-registered carrier, the drinking age is 21,” a airlines based elsewhere (emphasis on “some;” certain spokesperson for American Airlines confirmed to TPG in airlines don’t serve alcohol at all). an email. Just be sure to confirm the airline’s drinking age Said Delta: “Delta uses the age of 21 as the threshold to beforehand. And have your passport handy in case the serve customers alcohol on all flights.” flight attendant cards you. The story was the same at United: “Customers must be One more tip: Drinking to excess on a plane at any age 21 or older to consume alcohol on all flights,” a policy you can lead to trouble. So, if you’re going to toast 70 years can also find on the airline’s website. of mile-high drinking, please do so responsibly. So even when Delta starts flying people to Mars, the drinking age on that 300-million-mile flight likely will still This email and any files transmitted with it are intended solely for the use of be 21. NABCA members, free-of-charge. If you do not wish to receive this daily service, please respond with “UNSUBSCRIBE” in the Subject line. In addition, if there is International carriers are a different story another individual within your company who should also be receiving this service, please forward their NAME, TITLE, EMPLOYER, and EMAIL ADDRESS Foreign carriers based in countries with a lower legal to [email protected]. Thank you for your time and attention as we drinking age generally follow the policies of their home continue to work to improve upon the services and benefits that we provide to our members. Please note that any views or opinions presented in this email countries on board. are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent those of the “In Mexico, the legal drinking age and official adulthood National Alcohol Beverage Control Association. age is 18 years old,” a spokesperson for Aeromexico told TPG in an email. “So on board our flights, any 18-year-old citizen, regardless of their nationality, is allowed to drink, as long as they show an official and valid ID (in this case, a passport).” “As a U.K.-registered airline, we are regulated by the British Laws,” Virgin Atlantic told TPG. “[We have an] age limit of 18 years for alcohol and tobacco consumption and sales. This applies to all routes that we serve.” (Virgin Atlantic passengers who don’t want to drink alcohol have some interesting alternatives.) Lufthansa and British Airways also told TPG they have a drinking age of 18. Drinker beware! Just because you’re flying on an international carrier, however, don’t assume the drinking age is 18.