The efforts in the recent legislative session to make the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority more independent of the executive branch give me pause and concern. I have been involved in the alcohol business at Blue Ridge Beverage Company Inc. for more than 50 years.
Our family business has always taken seriously the responsible marketing and consumption of alcoholic beverages and the issues surrounding them. Also, in my travels over the years as a member of our national trade association leadership, I learned that Virginia’s ABC has always served as a model for the control and regulation of a product that can cause harm if abused.
Virginia remains one of 17 “control” states that, after Prohibition ended, made the wise decision to directly control the sale of distilled spirits in its own retail stores (resulting in profits than can be put to good use by the commonwealth) while also regulating other participants in the alcohol business (licensed manufacturers, importers, distributors, and retailers, among others). It has been proven consistently that by balancing the consumption issue with the enforcement of the rules and regulations surrounding the products and players, both access to alcoholic beverages and public safety concerns are addressed appropriately.
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Unfortunately, over the last number of years, certain governors and members of the General Assembly have applied constant political pressure on ABC to generate ever increasing levels of sales and profits to the detriment of what I believe is ABC’s primary mission of control and enforcement. This shift in focus and the related pressure is both unfortunate and dangerous.
I do believe that most alcohol beverage consumers are responsible and enjoy the beverage of their choice without harm to themselves and others.
On the other hand, I have witnessed the destructiveness of alcohol abuse over the years — even within my own family.
From what I have observed, beverage alcohol as a category “sells” itself, with most marketing and advertising initiatives designed to convince responsible consumers to choose one brand or another or to try a new innovative product that has been introduced to the marketplace.
I see little or no justification for our state political leadership to put endless pressure on ABC for ever increasing sales volumes, especially while generally ignoring any negative impacts on the system as well as the citizens of the commonwealth.
The fact is that the alcohol industry is undergoing a nationwide generational shift in attitudes towards the consumption of alcohol.
Demographic declines in the number of legal-age drinkers and an increased focus on healthy lifestyles and “better for you” products are having a significant impact on the sales of all these products.
Putting pressure on Virginia’s ABC to “sell more” will do very little if anything in the end. Even worse, it forces ABC to take its eyes off what should be its primary mission, which is control and enforcement.
To ignore this function will result only in increased public health and safety concerns. The enforcement element of our current ABC system has been and remains inadequate to audit and enforce the necessary rules and regulations that surround and protect industry players and Virginia’s citizens.
I respectfully suggest that our governor and members of the General Assembly take a deep breath and revisit the goals and objectives of what has been an effective alcohol control system, one which balances the dual missions of control and sales of beverage alcohol. The primary mission must remain control and enforcement. To do otherwise could result in increased harm to the system and our citizens.
Finally, I believe the dynamics explained above further illustrate the importance of a truly independent ABC system, one that shields it from undue political pressure.