Either you know what is happening in the Washington State Legislature regarding the reformation of our state’s liquor laws, or you are happily living you life, unaware of this (what we consider to be) very exciting legislation. If you need a little clarification, put your martini down long enough to read thru our breakdown of Washington State Initiative Measures 1099 and 1100 and how the heck we got  into this mess. .

There have been initiatives to privatize the liquor biz here in Washington before. After all, our state’s model of liquor being completely controlled by the state is rapidly becoming a thing of the past. Only a handful of states can still claim that they embrace a system like ours, and there is good reason for that. We are one of the few whose laws have virutally remained the same since the end of Prohibition. Add to that the recent liquor tax hikes that have now put Washington State as the most expensive place to buy hard alcohol in the U.S., and the picture starts coming into focus.

In addition to the out of pocket expense we have endured, the Washington State Liquor Control Board (WSLCB), has a nasty habit of placing rather draconian and punitive laws on businesses. Examples include: restricting the number and content of neon signs a bar may have in its windows, making coasters bearing liquor brands illegal, and is also trying to make marijuana (medicinal and otherwise) a retail item grown and sold exclusively by the state. Wait, what? It goes from being illegal to legal AND run by the state?  What the…?

The increasing cost and tighter restrictions (not to mention the long waits and/or outages bars and restaurants endure for product)  has caused folks who make their living in the hospitality industry to get more than a little upset. This has culminated in the introduction of two very recent initiatives attempting to change our rapidly deteriorating situation by an organization appropriately called Modernize Washington.

Both initiatives call for the end of the WSLCB selling alcohol, making it strictly an enforcement agency. It also limits its power over advertising of liquor to only cases where it has “a demonstrable effect of reducing underage or abusive drinking”. They also set an end date for sales by the state at December 31, 2011, and would allow current beer and wine retailers to sell spirits starting June 1, 2011.

The Difference? Initiative 1100 immediately repeals the “Three Tier System”, which restricts financial arrangements between distributors, retailers and distillers. (Distillers in this case includes wine makers and brewers as well.) Initiative 1099 keeps the current system in place, with a more gradual move toward complete disbanding.

As of right now, we are leaning toward 1100, as we want the whole shebang to come apart and be replaced with a better, more open, system. It will increase revenue for the state, create jobs, and make our search for elusive liqueurs a whole lot easier.

Once petitions to support the initiative are ready, Modernize Washington will only have until July 2, 2010 to get 240,000 signatures.

If you want to put yourself to sleep, feel free to read the initiative here. Or, you can just stay tuned, as we will keep you posted….

posted 4/29/10 5:52 pm

Initiative 1100 Initiative 1105