As April gets underway, the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration is observing “Alcohol Awareness Month” as a way to raise awareness about alcohol abuse.
National Beer Wholesalers Association called the month an appropriate time to recognize that alcohol is a unique product “that isn’t for everyone. Alcoholic beverages need to be effectively regulated to help combat abuse and to ensure they do not end up in the hands of those under the legal drinking age.”
“Responsibility begins with effective regulation, and the United States has had a time-tested system of state-based alcohol regulation in place for more than eight decades – a system that allows the states to decide how best to regulate and track alcohol,” Purser said.
While every state has its own set of alcohol beverage laws that address the specific needs of the individual state, the alcohol industry is regulated at the federal level by the Alcohol & Tobacco Tax & Trade Bureau (TTB). Purser called on Congress to fully fund TTB, noting the agency regulates 48,000 permitted alcohol beverage operations in the U.S., including more than 20,000 permitted wholesalers (distributors); 6,100 permitted breweries; nearly 10,400 permitted wineries; 1,900 liquor producers; and 10,000 alcohol importers. The TTB works to enforce trade practice regulations at 620,000 licensed retailers across the country. Agency officials also review well over 100,000 labels and thousands of formulas each year to protect U.S. consumers from counterfeit, adulterated or illegally produced products.