As any addiction treatment expert will tell you, the first step to treating substance use disorder is admitting that you have a problem. New York has an alcohol problem and — despite alarming public health data and pleas from local experts — Albany continues to push policies to expand alcohol access. This irrational exuberance to soak the state in liquor must stop.
Over the past few years, alcohol-related disease and deaths have spiked, particularly among women. Fresh data show that rates of alcohol-related complications among women are even higher than anticipated. A study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Health Forum, stated “Women aged 40 to 64 years experienced 33.3% to 56.0% increases in complication episodes…associated with large and sustained increases in high-acuity alcohol-related liver disease complications.”
This new research comes following reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showing that the overall age-adjusted rate of alcohol-induced deaths increased by 26%. Rates of alcohol-induced deaths for women experienced a 27% increase, marking the largest annual increase of the groups studied. Researchers from Hofstra University published a study that found “alcohol-related mortality in the U.S. suggests there has been a significantly higher rate of increase in deaths among female individuals in recent years.”
Findings from the state Department of Health Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System show one in six adults (16.4%) in New York demonstrated excessive alcohol use in the form of either binge or heavy drinking. The department calculates that “Excessive alcohol use also results in economic costs and costs NYS an estimated $16.3 billion, or approximately $2.28 per drink.” The adverse economic impact should not be overlooked.
Beyond alcohol-related disease and premature death, threats to public safety are also spiking. The Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee tracked traffic violations across the state as part of the national Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over initiative from Dec. 13 to Jan. 1. Approximately 106,509 tickets were issued statewide in only 18 days. State police data shows that alcohol-related traffic deaths are up 30% over the last several years.
In February, a coalition representing 15 addiction treatment centers across the state sent a letter to Gov. Hochul and legislative leaders writing that, “In light of clear evidence that the rate of alcohol-induced illness and deaths among women has increased so significantly in recent years, we believe that any efforts to expand alcohol access in the name of consumer convenience, or private profit, should be suspended indefinitely.”
Those pleas have been ignored. Despite all the troubling trends and clear data from established public health experts, including the government’s own public health and safety authorities, our elected leaders are still pushing to sell more alcohol. The new state budget includes several changes to the state’s Alcohol Beverage Control Law including extending the state’s “drinks-to-go” provision through 2030 and even allowing the sale of alcohol in movie theaters.
At a time when alcohol-related traffic deaths are up 30%, it boggles the mind that the state decided to promote cocktails in cars for another five years.
In a situation ripped from “The Twilight Zone,” communities that choose to be “dry” towns may be forced to drink. Legislators behind the crusade to push more alcohol want to take that choice away from municipalities. These same lawmakers are behind other efforts to weaken alcohol law, including an extreme provision to allow liquor companies to ship alcohol from the factory to the doorstep.
Veteran law enforcement leadership in New York have spoken out against direct alcohol shipping, which has been proven to increase underage access to alcohol.
As this legislative session continues, lawmakers must know when to say when. It’s critical they weigh the potential benefits and conduct a serious analysis of the costs of expanding alcohol access. Loosening these laws to drive increased sales and consumption defies established public health guidance and ignores the threat to women’s health.
It’s imperative that our leaders listen to scientists, social workers, addiction experts, police, and parents who want smart alcohol policy. We’re not prohibitionists; anyone adult of legal age has no problem seeking out a stiff drink if that’s what they want. However rapid further expansion, as many of our elected leaders want, flies in the face of public health experts and creates more problems for vulnerable New Yorkers. Public health and safety must come first. Stop weakening New York’s alcohol laws.
Kent was general counsel at the state Office of Addiction Services and Supports from 2007 to 2020 and was general counsel at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy from 2021 to 2023. Vining is the executive director of Long Beach AWARE, an organization seeking lasting change in the community culture around alcohol and other drug use.