Private liquor stores are linked to an increase in alcohol-related deaths: researcher

VICTORIA (CUP) — A new study out of the University of Victoria found that a high number of private liquor stores in a given area leads to more alcohol-related deaths.

The report, titled “Impact on alcohol-related mortality of a rapid rise in the density of private liquor outlets in British Columbia: A local area multi-level analysis” and published in the peer-reviewed journal Addiction, divided British Columbia into 89 local health areas and considered all death certificates that listed alcohol as either the primary or secondary cause of death from 2002 to 2008.

Researchers then compared how many private liquor stores and government liquor stores were in each area, while controlling for variables like restaurants, bars and other social and economic factors.

The results are consistent with many other similar studies in other jurisdictions, says lead author Tim Stockwell.

“If you’ve got a lot of stores of any kind, private or government, you’ve got a much higher death rate than a place with fewer stores,” he explained. “And you look at percentage of stores that are private or government owned, and we found that there’s an extra effect on deaths from there being private stores rather than government stores.”

Stockwell outlined two main reasons for this. First, private stores have increased 40 per cent since the government allowed them to sell spirits in 2003. And since they tend to be open longer hours, alcohol has become more accessible.

But that’s only part of it, he says.

“The most important thing is that they are better at the business side than the government at selling liquor,” said Stockwell, noting that unlike government stores, the private sector will tailor their quality and price to their clientele, which explains why Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside has the cheapest booze in the province.

“On average, private liquor stores have slightly higher prices. But at any one time they have some special on. So you will find that the cheapest liquor anywhere is always in a private store.”

Not everyone accepts that daily specials result in additional harmful drinking habits, though. Randy Wilson co-founded Liquor Plus, a private liquor franchise with four branches on Vancouver Island and two more opening this year. If high prices make people safer drinkers, he argues, British Columbians should be safe enough.

“To say that the way to stop drinking is to continue to raise the price is silly because we already are the highest in Canada, and I think we’re the second- or third-highest in the world, as far as taxation on liquor,” Wilson said.

“Pushing prices up only hurts Mrs. Smith when she’s looking for a nice bottle of wine for dinner.”

He also rejects the notion that private stores are more likely to carry a selection of products that are harmful. Rather, they have the versatility to restrict access to high impact beverages, something the government stores can’t do.

“The people that are at more risk of harm are drinking certain products. For example, Sherry 74 is a 22 per cent alcohol content product that is for sale at all [government stores] for $6.99,” said Wilson. “That product is so problematic with the customers we delisted it.”

Wilson’s dad died an alcoholic, so he understands what’s at stake. He just disagrees that the cash register works as a disincentive for problem drinkers.

“Trust me, the price of vodka was immaterial to my dad because if you are an addict you’re an addict. So I don’t think raising the price of alcohol solves it. I think education and enforcement solves it,” said Wilson. “We are penalizing people that drink responsibly, like Mrs. Smith who wants to have her gin and tonic, because we want to keep her from drinking too much when she doesn’t drink too much in the first place.”

Stockwell agrees there’s a need for education, but insists price certainly impacts how harmful drinking is. Statistics show that the heaviest drinking 10 per cent of the population pay about $0.80 per drink, compared to $4.50 for the lightest drinking 50 per cent. This is why, Stockwell explains, when Alaska drastically increased alcohol taxes twice in the past 25 years, they experienced decreases in liver sclerosis.

“That’s because even the heavy drinkers respond to price changes,” said Stockwell. “That may be counterintuitive to people if they have this fixed idea that an alcoholic will always get their drink no matter what.”

Which isn’t to say Stockwell is against private stores. He understands the benefits of having a neighbourhood beer store. But he wants alcohol policy to be built around informed data.