Bills Target Alcohol Abuse

 

BILLS TARGET ALCOHOL ABUSE

Written by

Queenie Wong

Statesman Journal

Public intoxication and alcohol abuse have long irked the police and city officials who have to clean up the mess drunks leave behind.

Now they’re asking the Legislature to give the Oregon Liquor Control Commission the authority to designate “alcohol impact areas,” which would allow cities to limit or ban the sale of low-cost drinks with high alcohol content.

“Having worked in a crowded urban environment, I’ve seen first-hand the assault, sex crimes, vandalism and disruption of public order attributed to chronic alcohol abuse,” Sgt. Kevin Hogan with the Portland Police Bureau’s Drug and Vice Division told lawmakers Friday.
Under House Bill 2702, municipalities would have to prove to the OLCC that the particular area had repeated disturbances or crimes tied to alcohol use.

Business groups, grocery stores, wine associations and retailers are pushing back.
Erez Klein, the beer and wine buyer for Whole Foods Market in the Pacific Northwest region, said while they support the goal of increasing public safety the approach in the bill is too broad and unfairly punishes businesses.

“The effort should be on enforcing illegal drinking laws and providing substance abuse treatment for those in need — not banning alcohol products,” Klein told the House Committee on Business and Labor.

Even if the state restricts certain alcoholic beverages, residents would simply shift to a place across the street outside of the alcohol impact area, opponents said.
The lead sponsor of the bill, Rep. Carolyn Tomei, D-Milwaukie, pointed to Washington where there are alcohol impact areas in Seattle, Tacoma and Spokane. In 2011, Seattle Police Department saw a significant decrease in adult liquor violations, park exclusions and trespass offenses in those areas, according to a report submitted to the Washington Liquor Control Commission.

While the report stated it is difficult to determine the direct impact of the alcohol impact areas, it concluded that it was “reasonable to assume” the restrictions did have positive effects on curbing public intoxication.

In September 2010, the city of Portland filed a petition with the OLCC to establish an alcohol impact area in the downtown core.
But the OLCC told the city in 2012 they did not have the authority to establish an alcohol impact area and would need approval from the Legislature.

“We have consulted with counsel on the issue of authority,” the letter stated. “Unexpectedly, we have determined that establishing an AIA under our current rule is not an option.”
The letter never stated why OLCC, which supports the bill, legally did not have the authority to create an alcohol impact area.
OLCC would not release the opinion from the Attorney General’s Office on Friday, citing attorney-client privilege.
qwong@statesmanjournal .com, (503) 399-6694, or follow at Twitter.com/QWongSJ