US delegates vote in favour of grain alcohol ban

A bill has been passed by the state of Maryland to ban the sale of high strength grain alcohol.

Maryland’s House of Delegates has voted in favour of banning the sale of grain alcohol

The legislation will prohibit the sale of alcohol of 95% abv (190-proof) or more and would mean those found guilty of flouting the law could be fined up to US$1,000.

Members of the Maryland’s House of Delegates voted in favour of the bill 103-1. The bill has already been given the green light by the Senate, which voted in favour 37-10.

Similar bills have been approved by the Senate twice in previous years but has always died in the House committee.

At least 12 other states, including Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia, have already imposed a ban on the clear-coloured spirit, which is often marketed as moonshine, and Maryland is attempting to follow suit as it strives to curb binge drinking, particularly among university students.

The Maryland Collaborative – a group of 11 Maryland universities and colleges – has endeavoured to push legislation for the ban.

Dr. Donna Cox, a professor in the College of Health Professions and the co-director of the Alcohol, Tobacco & Other Drug Prevention Center at Towson University, told the Daily Orange: “Grain alcohol is one of the choices that students will use as a way of getting a cheap, effective, efficient buzz.”

Grain alcohol has long been a popular cheap choice of spirit for students who often mix it with lemonade or fruit punch but in recent years some experts have hit out at grain alcohol for being “dangerous” as they strive to crackdown on binge drinking on university campuses.

However, retailers and industry representatives have claimed that lawmakers are “unfairly blaming” the spirit for problem drinking in Maryland.