Study: Alcohol prices, deaths linked

Excessive student alcohol consumption may have a simple solution- a tax increase.

The cost of alcohol is said to be the reason for decreased liquor purchases by students. Photo by: Devin Loretz

A recent study in the American Journal of Public Health examined the effects of the alcoholic beverage tax on drinking-related deaths in the state of Alaska.

Researchers found that over 29 years, increases on the beverage tax were followed by reductions in the number of alcohol-linked fatalities.

A 1983 tax increase reduced the number of deaths by nearly 30 percent, and another increase in 2002 led to an 11 percent decrease in drinking-related fatalities.

Both reductions occurred within a year of the original tax hikes.

However, UNLV student Justin Strickland explained he does not allow the cost of alcohol to impact his good time and believes other students feel the same way.

“If the price goes up, people don’t stop drinking,” he said. “I [would] definitely keep drinking.”

Strickland goes on to say that he doubts a price increase of a few cents would discourage students from consuming alcohol.

The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports about 83 percent of college students drink.

Jimmy Molina, a 21-year-old UNLV student, said the popularity of excessive drinking among his peers allows them to disregard monetary cost.

“Most people my age just don’t care [about prices]. They’ll go binge drinking,” he said.

According to a 2004 report by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 18 percent of Nevadans binge drink and nearly 7 percent of the population “drinks heavily.”

While some students may overindulge when reaching the legal drinking age, Molina attempts to control the amount of alcohol he consumes.

Molina said he would reduce his alcohol consumption if cost necessitated it, a view fellow student Jessica Cybulski does not share.

“I would drink less coffee if I had to,” she said.

Cybulski admitted she would make several sacrifices before halting her drinking completely.

Vons store manager Matthew Patterson said he has seen fewer college students purchasing alcohol, but he believes that it has less to do with small fluctuations in price and more to do with the economy.

“Even with the kids at college, there [is] less and less money and jobs for them, so their spending has gone down also,” he said.

Although prices have stopped her from dining out occasionally, Cybulski believes she has adjusted her drinking to her economic situation well.

“At some bars, if the price is more expensive, I go to the liquor store,” she said. “I try to conserve money.”

Patterson, whose store is located near the main UNLV campus, said a price increase would stop some from drinking, but he also reported that even with the harsh economy, he sees an influx of students shopping for vodka and beer on the weekend.

In 2003, Nevada approved a 75 percent tax increase on beer, wine and spirits to generate revenue and possibly decrease the number of alcohol-related car accidents.

The immediate effects have not been widely reported.