CEO DATELINE - Association blasts study connecting drop in STDs with higher alcohol taxes
CEO DATELINE - Association blasts study connecting drop in STDs with higher alcohol taxes
- December 14, 2015 |
- Walt Williams
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A new study found that gonorrhea rates in Maryland dropped by 24 percent after the state increased its sales tax on alcohol in 2011, but one association representing the alcohol industry called the research "bogus."
The study by University of Florida researchers noted that gonorrhea rates nationwide shot up in recent years, especially among young people, according to the news site News Medical. One exception was Maryland, where the researchers concluded that an increase in the state's alcohol sales tax from 6 to 9 percent led to 2,400 fewer cases of gonorrhea during the first 18 months the new tax rate was in effect.
"If policymakers are looking for methods to protect young people from harmful (sexually transmitted infections), they should consider raising alcohol taxes, which have decreased remarkably over the years due to inflation," said Stephanie Staras, an assistant professor in UF's College of Medicine and the study's lead researcher. http://bit.ly/1QGWpS1
A day after the study was made public, the Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S. issued a statement accusing the researchers of intellectual dishonesty. The association noted there were no declines in other sexually transmitted dseases during the time period examined. In fact, syphilis rates in Maryland "skyrocketed" 26 percent after the tax increase.
"These statistics show the intellectual dishonesty of this study and the ludicrous nature of these claims," DISCUS Chief Economist David Ozgo said.
Ozgo also said the neighboring states of Delaware and Virginia didn't raise their alcohol taxes yet experienced drops in gonorrhea rates similar to Maryland.
"This is not the first time these University of Florida researchers cherry-picked the data to fit their preconceived hypothesis," Ozgo said. "This advocacy-driven research plain and simple."
UF published a study earlier this year finding alcohol-related traffic deaths in Illinois dropped after that state raises its alcohol tax. DISCUS alleged the researchers ignored evidence that traffic fatalities had been on the decline before the tax went into effect. http://bit.ly/1J77GVt
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