Increase in Beer Tax Lowers Gonorrhea Rate

FDA Consumer, July, 2000

When the beer tax increases, the rates of gonorrhea among young people drop, according to a national study of state alcohol policy changes from 1981 to 1995 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC researchers estimate that a state tax increase of 20 cents on a six-pack of beer could reduce U.S.

gonorrhea rates by almost 9 percent. Two-thirds of the states that increased the beer tax were found to have decreased gonorrhea rates among teens aged 15 to 19 the year following the tax hike. Nearly three-quarters of the tax increases were associated with decreased gonorrhea rates among young adults aged 20 to 24. Gonorrhea rates among teens were also found to drop in states that increased their legal drinking age. These findings are consistent with other studies that link alcohol consumption to risky sexual behavior among youth. (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, April 28, 2000)