Culture, Not Government, Drives Alcohol Use

Practically three-quarters of Pennsylvania’s twelfth graders tried alcohol at least once in their lifetimes, according to a Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) report. This eye-opening statistic confirms the obvious: government control of liquor does not minimize underage drinking.

As a matter of fact, alcohol use among Pennsylvania students in the eighth, tenth, and twelfth grades ranks above the national average. These facts run counter to the narrative of liquor privatization opponents who tout government control as the solution to mitigate social problems, such as underage drinking and binge drinking.

According to the report, the rate of twelfth graders who admitted to binge drinking (defined as consuming five or more drinks in a row in the last two weeks) was slightly below the national average, but the percentage of Pennsylvania college students who admitted to binge drinking was above the national average.

If we’re to believe that government control can prevent these social problems, shouldn’t the rate of binge drinking be well below the national average for both twelfth graders and college students? After all, Pennsylvania has one of the most tightly regulated liquor systems in the country, with government operating both the retail and wholesale side of liquor sales.

The answer, of course, is no. As Dr. Raymond Scalettar, the former chair of the American Medical Association pointed out, “Alcohol consumption habits tend to be culturally driven and macro-level control policies have little to do with drinking patterns.” Dr. Scalettar’s claim is consistent with the findings in the PLCB report:

Youth who drink underage report they are most likely to get their alcohol for free (93.4 percent), with 44.8 percent reporting they got alcohol from family members or their home. And when they drink, they are consuming “more than 90 percent of their alcohol by binge drinking.”

Government’s inability to prevent social problems is just one more reason to privatize Pennsylvania’s dysfunctional liquor system.