Update of APIS Policy Topics

The Alcohol Policy Information System (APIS), a project of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), announces its latest annual update of State-by-State alcohol and cannabis policies.

This update reports on substantive changes in State alcohol and cannabis policy statutes and regulations that occurred though January 1, 2016.

Highlights relating to the annual update include the following:

Underage Drinking
• Oklahoma made several changes to its policies pertaining to Prohibitions on Underage Drinking, including the following:
o A Prohibition against Underage Consumption was adopted – with Parent/Guardian and Private Location exceptions;
o A Prohibition against Underage Purchase of Alcohol was adopted – with a Law Enforcement exception;
o A Parent/Guardian exception to Underage Possession was adopted;
o The Use/Lose License Suspension Penalty was expanded to apply to violations of underage Purchase and Consumption.
• Georgia eliminated License Suspension penalties for Use/Lose violations and False Identification violations. 

Retail Sales
• North Dakota adopted a voluntary Beverage Service Training law providing a Mitigation of Penalties incentive.
• Illinois repealed its Sunday Sales ban.

Taxation
• In Kansas, an increase in the general sales tax resulted in a net decrease, from 3.85 to 3.50 percent, in the calculated "Sales Tax Adjusted Retail Ad Valorem" rate applicable to Beer, Wine, and Spirits.
• Kentucky decreased its Wholesale Tax Rate on Beer and Wine.  Each decreased from 11.00 to 10.75 percent.

Pregnancy and Alcohol
• Kentucky adopted a Priority Treatment for Pregnant Women law.
• Louisiana eliminated its Priority Treatment for Pregnant Women law.
• Maryland eliminated its Priority Treatment for Pregnant Women law.
• Texas eliminated its Priority Treatment for Pregnant Women law.

Alcohol Beverages Pricing
• Illinois made two sets of changes to its Drink Specials prohibitions: 
o A change from prohibiting Multiple Servings at One Time to prohibiting Multiple Servings for a Single Serving Price;
o The Happy Hour Reduced Price variable changed from “Banned” to “Restricted” (with reduced price permitted before 10 pm, with a maximum of 4 hours per day and 15 hours per week).
• West Virginia law regarding Wholesale Pricing for Beer changed from requiring Posting of wholesale prices only to Posting and Holding for a Minimum Hold Period of 90 days.

Blood Alcohol Concentration Limits
• Michigan’s BAC Limit for Boating decreased from 0.10 to 0.08.

Alcohol Control Systems
• Vermont added Wine between 16 and 23 percent ABV to its license distribution system.

Transportation
• West Virginia adopted an Open Container law.

Health Care Services and Financing
• Tennessee, in its Health Insurance: Losses Due to Intoxication ("UPPL") law, eliminated authorization for Denial of Health Insurance Benefits.
• Maryland, in its Parity law, added a Parity requirement applicable to Co-Insurance and Co-payments.
• New York, in its Parity law, eliminated its Must Offer mandate for coverage of in-patient alcohol-related treatment, and added a Parity requirement applicable Annual and Lifetime Service Limits.

Cannabis Policy
• The Recreational Use of Cannabis topic was expanded with the addition of a page outlining recently adopted ballot measures approved by voters in the November 2016 election.
• In the coverage for Recreational Use of Cannabis, row notes for Alaska, Colorado, and Washington were revised to add additional detail regarding limitations on the number of retail licenses allowed in those States.  Additional journal references were also added to the Selected References section for cannabis.

These and other changes to current APIS policy topics are now posted to the site found at:  https://alcoholpolicy.niaaa.nih.gov/ .  Many are consistent with the goal of reducing underage drinking and cannabis use and its consequences, as well as the goal of reducing alcohol- and cannabis-related death and injury in the general population.

This project has been funded with Federal funds from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, under Contract No. HHSN275201300002C.