If you were hoping to make “PJ” for your next party, you are going to have to adjust your recipe. This week Everclear and Diesel joined Four Loko on the list of alcoholic beverages that are banned in North Carolina.
In the aftermath of Four Loko it was a politically convenient time to ban more things. But, if anything, bureaucrats should be liberalizing the state’s already ridiculous drinking laws. Good luck with that.
The Mecklenburg ABC control board noticed that a high number of 190-proof grain alcohol purchases were occurring at ABC stores close to college campuses. It didn’t take long for the Mecklenburg ABC board to stop selling 190-proof grain alcohol and the state of North Carolina at large followed suit soon after.
N.C. ABC stores will continue to sell a watered down 151-proof version of Everclear, but Diesel is gone for good.
But what the ban really does is call attention to North Carolina’s antiquated liquor control laws.
N.C. is one of only 19 “control states” that still regulate alcohol at the state and county level. Since 1935, the state has held a monopoly over the sale of liquor and it is time for a change. The market should dictate what kinds of alcohol are in the stores, not the state. And it’s not fair that the state, through its monopoly power, can dictate the products its citizens can buy.
Authorities say this ban is a good idea because it will cut down on binge drinking, but we doubt it will make a big difference. The CEO of the Mecklenburg county ABC control board agrees. In his own words: “I still think 150-proof is awfully strong … I don’t think this is going to curb people drinking as heavily.”
North Carolina should re-evaluate its alcohol policies and move towards less state control. Recent actions suggest it’s moving in the opposite direction, and it’s time to change course.
