Ohio Governor Says ‘Cheers’ to Beer Deregulation Bill

The Heartland Institute discusses with Michelle Minton a bill removing government restrictions on the alcohol volume of beer sold in the state. 

The bill will also allow Ohioans to purchase and consume beer or liquor in some market districts, such as Columbus’ North Market complex. Prior to the bill’s passage, beer and liquor consumption were not permitted in market districts.

Michelle Minton, a consumer policy fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, says the new law makes common-sense changes to the state’s alcohol laws by treating beer no differently than other alcoholic beverages.

“Speaking only about the ABV cap, it is about time Ohio lifted this antiquated and arbitrary restriction,” Minton said. “Putting a cap on the level of alcohol in beer makes no sense when people are legally allowed to purchase wine and, particularly, spirits, which have many times more the level of alcohol by volume.”

Minton says she has some concerns about the bill’s labeling requirements.

“One concern is the law’s new requirement that brewers label beers over 12 percent ABV as ‘high alcohol beer’ may cause some difficulty for out-of-state brewers, who will need to make a label specifically for the Ohio market and get it approved by the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau,” Minton said.

Read the full article at The Heartland Institute.