WI:  Proposed legislation looks to make first-offense OWI a crime in Wisconsin

WI:  Proposed legislation looks to make first-offense OWI a crime in Wisconsin WXOW News 19 January 6, 2019 La Crosse, Wis. (WXOW) – Wisconsin is the only state where first-offense drunk driving is a civil violation, not a crime. Something two Republican legislators in Madison hope to change. The package of bills including the OWI […]

VA:  Could changes be coming to Virginia’s alcohol laws?

VA:  Could changes be coming to Virginia’s alcohol laws? NBC 12 By Mechelle Hankerson, Virginia Mercury January 4, 2019 For years, restaurant owners have struggled through the tangled bureaucracy of getting and keeping state permission to serve liquor. Virginia Mercury reports that the commonwealth’s alcohol control laws — from its decision to keep retail liquor sales under the state’s […]

More than 15 million Americans have alcohol use disorder, study says

More than 15 million Americans have alcohol use disorder, study says Source: https://fox17online.com/ JANUARY 3, 2019 Millions of Americans–many of the 70 percent who consume alcohol–welcomed 2019 with a drink in their hand and for more than 90 percent of them, the cheer can be managed. But according to the National Institutes of Health, more than […]

As You Age, Alcohol May Be Harder to Handle

As You Age, Alcohol May Be Harder to Handle Source: https://www.webmd.com/ By Steven Reinberg Jan. 4, 2019 Seniors may be more vulnerable to alcoholism, a psychologist warns. “As we age, it takes longer for the body to break down alcohol. It stays in the system longer. Tolerance also decreases. Excessive drinking can compromise your immune system […]

South Africa:  High-risk drinking is common in South Africa, study finds

South Africa:  High-risk drinking is common in South Africa, study finds News Medical and Life Sciences Reviewed by James Ives, MPsych January 8, 2019 Adults in South Africa consume more alcohol than adults in most other countries; previous research has shown this comes with high rates of fetal alcohol syndrome and is a driver of the […]

MT:  Legislature faces important measures to combat Montana’s substance abuse crisis

MT:  Legislature faces important measures to combat Montana’s substance abuse crisis Missoulian By Tim Fox January 10, 2019 As legislators gather in Helena, from every corner of Montana they bring their constituents’ voices and concerns. They will debate issues that impact all of us, and though they will work amidst a national political climate racked […]

MA:  Massachusetts judge updates use of alcohol breath tests

MA:  Massachusetts judge updates use of alcohol breath tests The Sun Chronicle January 10, 2019   BOSTON (AP) — A Massachusetts district court judge has ruled that alcohol breath tests will continue to be excluded as evidence from most drunken driving cases until the state police’s troubled Office of Alcohol Testing is nationally accredited. Exceptions […]