Sunday Sales Bill to be Heard in February

The battle over Sunday sales of alcohol has been brewing for many years and has now received a hearing. The bill is to tentatively be heard FEBRUARY 6th by Rep. Davis and the Public Policy Committee. 

Indiana is NOT the only state that limits Sunday sales, and Sunday sales will increase access to minors. ICRUD opposes any expansion of alcohol sales and we are asking you to oppose the expansion as well by:

• contacting your personal state representative and senator to share your concerns (go to www.in.gov/legislative to find your legislator)

• contacting Rep. Davis to urge him to not allow a vote on Sunday sales (h33@in.gov or 1-800- 382-9841

• signing on to the ICRUD letter against Sunday sales (Lisa will send to you if interested)

• attending the hearing on February 6th and testifying (time and location TBD) 

There are 3 sides to every story. The Sunday sales fight has always been about one side of the industry versus another, and the public health story is never considered. It's time to share this side of the story.

Please forward this information to others who may be interested.
 
Contact Lisa Hutcheson for more information: lhutcheson@mhai.net or 317.638.3501 ext. 232.  

Dangerous alcoholic energy drinks will soon be off store shelves in America

Thank you for helping to make this happen!

On Wednesday, November 17, 2010, officials from the Federal Drug Administration, the Federal Trade Commission and the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau took unprecedented action by notifying four producers of alcoholic energy drinks that their products were adulterated and constituted a "public health concern". They were deemed unsafe because of the addition of caffeine as a stimulant. The companies were given 15 days to respond or face product seizure.

We are happy to report that the four producers, Phusion Projects, United Brands, Charge Beverages and New Century Brewing have stopped shipping the seven different products that according to the director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy were "designed, branded and promoted to encourage binge drinking."

It is time for advocates to take a moment to celebrate this great victory and give thanks to federal officials who listened to us and acted to protect the public health and safety. The marin Institute would like our help in thanking the federal legislators.

Click here to direct your letters of gratitude:

Featured in the Project RAD Newsletter

The evidence is in: Mandatory carding is working.

Katy Travis, program director for the Drug-Free Coalition of Tippecanoe County, wrote a letter to the (Lafayette) Journal & Courier about the effectiveness of the mandatory carding law in halting underage purchases in Tippecanoe County.

The letter outlines the positive results of the new law, which has been on the books since July.

The coalition is the only Drug-Free communities grantee in the state that works with local law enforcement on compliance checks. Once a month, the group teams up with the Lafayette or West Lafayette Police Departments and checks in 12-15 retail outlets by sending in a minor accompanied by a plainclothes police officer.

"In 2009 we had a 6.7 percent non-compliance rate. In 2010, we have a 3.6 percent non-compliance rate," says Travis. "However, since the law has gone in to effect, we have conducted three separate checks of 45 establishments, and there were no sales. We now have a 100 percent compliance rate in Tippecanoe County."

According to the mandatory carding law, any retail clerk selling alcohol must check the ID of a customer before making a sale.

At least one Indianapolis legislator, Sen. Jim Merritt, has stated publicly he hopes to "reform" the law due to complaints from his elderly constituents.

Click here to read Travis' letter to the editor.

Click here to read more from Project RAD.