NDSU employee testifies for alcohol bill
A bill to limit excessive discount drinking failed Thursday, Feb. 1 in the North Dakota Senate.
The bill targeted discount drinking specials such as two drinks for the price of one, after 11 p.m.
The bill was referred to the Political subdivisions senate committee. They unanimously gave a “do not pass” recommendation. The senate voted 34-13 to defeat it.
NDSU Orientation and Student Success Director Laura Oster-Aaland testified in support of the bill.
She explained that alcohol consumption, intoxication and drunk driving rates are sensitive to the price of alcoholic beverages.
North Dakota has the highest rates of binge drinking, alcohol dependency and drunk driving in the United States, according to Oster-Aaland.
Some students feel the bill would not have helped solve the problem of high rates of binge drinking, alcohol dependency or drunk driving had it passed.
A happy hour research study noted in the testimony, a group was given a 50 percent price reduction for alcohol during a daily three-hour period in the afternoon.
The control group received full price drinks during the same daily three-hour period in the afternoon.
The results indicate that the casual and heavy drinkers in the happy hour group drank about twice as much as those in the non-happy hour group.
“If this bill would have passed, it wouldn’t stop drinking or cause people to drink less,” said Kyle Jaeger, a junior majoring in business. “People can have more than two drinks in a three hour time, which is how long the bars are open after 11 p.m.”
Oster-Aaland explained she is not a prohibitionist, but alcohol is a drug, and even though it’s legal, it is still lethal.
Twenty-seven states have already passed a bill similar to the excessive discount drinking bill.
“I don’t think limiting discount drinking would solve any problems at all,” said Betsy Miller, a junior in business. “Binge drinking and alcohol dependency are going to happen somewhere else if they don’t happen in a bar.”
According to Oster-Aaland’s testimony, individual drinking behavior is influenced by a myriad of environmental factors—messages in the media, community norms and attitudes, public and institutional policies and practices and economic factors.
Taking away the discount times to drink was not appealing to some students.
“I’m glad it didn’t pass. It sounds like they were dictating what you can charge for drinks. That is like having people up the price of candy because it’s not necessarily good for you — people are probably still going to buy the candy,” said Jared Schwebach, a senior majoring in physical education and health.
Oster-Aaland said one reason North Dakota’s rates are so high may be due to the idea of individualism in the state.
“North Dakota’s high rates may need a solution but people need to learn limits for themselves,” said Kaleen Duppong, a sophomore majoring in horticulture.
People don’t like to be told what to do or follow regulations.
“I grew up in western North Dakota and people would serve Red Eye to children and it was no big deal,” Oster-Aaland said. “Red Eye is a strong Everclear- based alcoholic beverage.”
Reductions in alcohol use and related problems may be achieved by changing such environmental factors added Oster-Aaland.
For more information about the result of the bill visit www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/60-2007/bill-actions/ba2269.html.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.