The beer industry: rights and responsibilities.

Castellano, J.P.

Abstract
In the USA, as in other countries, the brewing industry has long been aware of the damage done by antisocial drinking habits to the community at large and to the industry's own public image. Large brewing companies such as Anheuser-Busch have therefore devoted considerable time, money and effort to the promotion of responsible drinking habits and to campaigning against alcohol abuse. However, they are faced with other publicity campaigns which are not only overtly hostile to the alcoholic beverage industry but also tend to hinder the promotion of the kind of moderate social drinking habits least likely to harm the community (or, for that matter, the drinker). Measures proposed by this lobby include advertising and retail sales restrictions and punitive taxation (despite the fact that Alabama, the state with the highest beer tax in the USA, has a higher death rate from drunk driving than Wyoming, the state with the lowest beer tax) which the author considers more likely to deter the moderate drinker than the sort of person likely to have antisocial or dangerous drinking habits.
Keywords : brewing industry drinking habits health public relations safety