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For Immediate Release
April 26, 2007 |
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- 415-257-2490 |
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- 415-257-2499 |
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STEALTH ALCOHOL SUFFERS A BLOW
Labels for Deceptive Alcohol Products Clear First Legislative Hurdle
SAN RAFAEL, CA (April 25, 2007)--- A bill to require labels clearly distinguishing alcoholic beverages from non-alcoholic beverages won approval today from the Assembly Governmental Organization Committee. Introduced by Assembly Members Jim Beall (D-San Jose) and Lori Saldaña (D-San Diego), AB 346 presented a straightforward response to an urgent problem. The marketplace is full of alcoholic beverages that don't look, taste, or smell like traditional wine, beer, or distilled spirits. Packaged to look like everything from juice boxes to energy drinks to Jell-O cups to nail polish, these products mislead both adults and youth who often think such drinks are either non-alcoholic or significantly lighter in alcohol content than beer. Law enforcement, health professionals, parents, youth leaders, and their adult mentors have been raising a red flag about these sweet, bubbly, often fruit-flavored and caffeine-laced drinks for sometime.
The modest and sensible measure faced stiff opposition from the alcohol industry. Corporate “alcopops” giants including Diageo (maker of Smirnoff Ice) and Anheuser-Busch (maker of Spykes, Peels, and Bacardi Silver) opposed the bill, which will make it easier for law enforcement, parents, schools, and others to enforce underage drinking laws.
Supporters of the bill, including dozens of groups from around the state, described today's vote as good news for youth and good news for California, which spends over $7 billion on problems associated with youth drinking every year.
“The Governmental Organization Committee, especially the leadership of Chairman Alberto Torrico is to be commended for standing up to Big Alcohol and putting the health and well being of California youth before corporate profits,” said Bruce Livingston, executive director of Marin Institute. “Sneaky alcohol products make it tougher to fight underage drinking. Now the writing is on the wall, there is a limit to the predatory and misleading products they can put on the shelves.”
The measure passed on an 8-6 vote. (Voting Yes: Torrico, Calderon, de Leon, Evans, Levine, Mendoza, Portantino, and Price Jr. Voting No: Plescia, Garcia, Jeffries, Richardson, Silva, and Tran. Absent: Soto ). AB 346 now goes to the Appropriations Committee before heading to the full Assembly.
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