Raymond Liou Current Event: Can a bigger booze tax reduce disease, crime?

website: www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/09/24/health.booze.tax/index.html

Alcohol has been the third leading cause of death for many years. For example the six pack of
beer, bottle of wine has increased by 50 cents from tax. It is said that addicts will quit. There has been evidence that increasing tax on alcohol has been able to stop dangerous behavior, and
helped people quit their addictions and possible save their lives. The American Journal of Public health for example has focused on Alaska one with tax increases during 1983 and 2002 finding out that death rates dramaticlly decreased. In Alaska the 2 cent tax increase per bottle of beer has caused twenty three less deaths, a drastic twenty nine percent drop. Alchohol has been the reason of many diseases like liver, heart cancers, and many behaviours like depression. markowitz who is associate professor of economics at Emory University said,"The proportion of crimes and suicides smaller that are alcohol related would be far smaller then diseases such as liver- cirrhosis." This increase of tax can also help revenue of the economy.



This shows that increasing taxing of alcohol and drugs should happen for more states. It doesnt just benefit the person but it also benifits the rest of the world that matters. I think that more states should increase taxes because it really is for the best of the addicts. It will stop the violence and make the lives of the addicts more enjoyable.