A bill that would have created a new agency to promote Oregon distilleries across the country and the world appears to have not survived the legislative session, a win for substance abuse treatment advocates who lobbied against using state dollars to push alcohol.
House Bill 2976 called for the creation of an Oregon Spirits Board that, according to a legislative analysis, would have served as a “semi independent” state agency overseen by a nine-member board appointed by the governor. It would have cost about $5 million per biennium and would have been focused on promoting liquor produced in Oregon.
The bill also would have made permanent a temporary – but longstanding – 50-cent per bottle surcharge for liquor produced in the state.
Oregon is home to 78 distilleries – more than Kentucky, a state famous for its bourbons, according to a report last year by the Oregon Distillers Guild. The guild says the industry has experienced a boom in Oregon since 2009, when the state had just 14 distilleries.
According to the guild, most distilleries in the state are small businesses with many producing fewer than 5,000 cases a year.
But advocates for substance abuse treatment in Oregon slammed the idea of an Oregon Spirits Board, saying the state should not invest in the promotion of alcohol when so many Oregonians struggle with dependence. Public health data shows Oregon ranks fifth nationally in alcohol abuse disorders among teens and adults.
— Noelle Crombie; ncrombie@oregonian.com; 503-276-7184; @noellecrombie
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