Feds Oppose Pennsylvania Liquor Privatization

It's too customer-friendly

HARRISBURG — If the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had a say in whether Pennsylvania sells off its state-owned liquor stores, it'd likely vote to keep them around.

Recommendations from the federal agency's Community Preventative Services Task Force say turning over to the free marketing the sale of wine and liquor leads to excessive drinking. But these conclusions are disputed by other researchers and privatization supporters, who claim the CDC isn't looking at the right data.

The task force recommendations were included in a mid-August study on how much excessive drinking costs state economies and governments – about $224 billion annually nationwide.