Will Ohio legislature's bills to expand alcohol sales lead to more addiction, violence?

Ohio lawmakers are expanding access to alcohol in Ohio to give restaurants, bars and retail stores a sales boost in an uncertain time. But mental health professionals and addiction specialists worry that expanded access could lead to spikes in drunken driving and domestic violence.

“It’s important to say that alcohol does not cause violence, but it is one of the most common correlates of violent behavior,” said Dr. Robert Peralta, a University of Akron sociology professor.

Lawmakers backing two alcohol-related bills, one of which passed the Senate on Wednesday, point to safeguards built into the laws. The goal, they say, is to preserve jobs at bars and restaurants, which were hit especially hard by the downturn brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

“While restaurants and bars for the most part are open, limited capacity doesn't fit their business model,” said Rep. Jeff LaRe, a Violet Township Republican who sponsored one of the bills. Restaurants are limited to half capacity during the pandemic and must space tables at least 6 feet apart.

House Bill 669 awaits Gov. Mike DeWine’s signature, and House Bill 674 is under consideration in the Ohio Senate.

The latter would allow for Sunday liquor sales and 24-hour alcohol sales in some instances, and give bars the opportunity to buy a permit extending last call from 2 to 4 a.m. The former lets bars and restaurants expand outdoor seating and would make permanent some temporary changes approved by DeWine that allowed for alcohol delivery. 

The laws create parity between certain types of establishments, said Rep. D.J. Swearingen, a Huron Republican who sponsored House Bill 669. Restaurants, for example, can already deliver beer with meals, and his bill permanently extends that right to craft cocktail bars.

“To me it's a fairness issue,” he said. “Government officials don't want to be in the business of picking winners and losers.”

Any increase in access to alcohol, opponents argue, promotes binge drinking, underage drinking and other problems.

“We have years and years of data that show if you increase access you increase harm,” said J.P. Dorval, advocacy and public policy liaison for Prevention Action Alliance, a Worthington nonprofit dedicated to preventing substance abuse.

Peralta agreed.

“Men who abuse alcohol tend to be more likely to perpetrate severe forms of intimate partner violence,” he said.

The problem is compounded by the economic downturn, Peralta said. Stressors like job loss are also correlated with increases in domestic violence.

Supporters of the bills counter that it is necessary to give bars and restaurants a fair shake during the downturn to preserve jobs. Rules regarding underage sales and overserving are still in place, they say.

Expanding the hours of service for liquor stores and bars, and allowing Sunday liquor and wine sales without a permit in communities that have not previously voted against Sunday sales are two of the more contentious aspects of House Bill 674.

Rep. Hudson Hillyer, a Uhrichsville Republican who sponsored the bill, said most Ohioans can already buy beer on Sundays, and measures supporting Sunday liquor sales are often well-supported.

“Historically these things have passed in record numbers,” he said. “It’s silly to me that I could buy a 30-pack of beer (on Sunday), but at the same store, I can’t buy a bottle of fine wine.”

While Hillyer wanted to give bars the choice to extend their hours, he expects only a few will opt in.

“Keep in mind if you buy one of those licenses, you would have to staff the facility, and many places across Ohio aren't going to make enough profit to justify that extra expense,” he said.

Dr. Tavis Glassman, who teaches drug awareness for the University of Toledo, said research shows that most problematic behaviors stemming from alcohol use take place after midnight, so Sunday sales will likely have little impact. 

But “cutting off the time alcohol is served earlier in the day would make sense from a public health standpoint,” he said.

Sunday sales permit fees raised nearly $6 million for addiction services last year, and opponents of House Bill 674 worry that eliminating the need for such permits harms the people who depend on those services.

Proponents of House Bill 669 stress that delivery drivers must follow the same rules as bartenders and servers. They must check IDs, and the establishments providing the alcohol still risk losing their liquor licenses if they provide alcohol to underage customers.

But without managers and co-workers present, drivers don’t face the same accountability as their in-store counterparts, said John Ellis, a University of Akron professor who studies addiction.

“These drivers are primarily 21 to 25 themselves,” he said. “If you’re a driver, and you know that the only person who is 21 at that entire party is the person (making the order), are you really going to not sell it to them?”

But alcohol delivery has a potential upside by keeping people from gathering in bars and reducing intoxicated driving, Glassman said.

“Minimizing the number of people going to bars is going to be quite healthy in terms of preventing the spread (of coronavirus), which is a much more immediate problem in terms of public health,” he said.

House Bill 674 lets some establishments such as breweries advertise on social media, which worries Dorval, who said he would like to see limits on social media advertising built into the law..

“Social media is no-man's-land,” he said. 

Hillyer said alcohol ads are already ubiquitous. 

pcooley@dispatch.com

@PatrickACooley