[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 149 (Thursday, September 18, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1840]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    CELEBRATING 75 YEARS OF EFFECTIVE STATE-BASED ALCOHOL REGULATION

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                               speech of

                            HON. BART STUPAK

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 17, 2008

  Mr. STUPAK. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Con. Res. 415, which 
would celebrate 75 years of effective state-based alcohol regulation 
since the repeal of Prohibition.
  On May 5, 2008, I introduced H. Con. Res. 341 with the gentleman from 
North Carolina, Mr. Coble, to recognize the 75th anniversary of the 
repeal of Prohibition and to commemorate the effective state-based 
regulation of alcohol.
  This legislation has 98 cosponsors.
  In order to bring the resolution to the floor today, Mr. Coble and I 
re-introduced it as H. Con. Res. 415.
  I thank the gentleman from North Carolina for working with me on this 
important resolution.
  In 1919, the 18th amendment prohibited ``the manufacture, sale or 
transportation of intoxicating liquors.''
  During Prohibition, the United States experienced a dramatic increase 
in illegal activity including unsafe black market alcohol production, a 
growth in organized crime, and increasing noncompliance with alcohol 
laws.
  It was not uncommon for consumers to fall victim to counterfeit or 
tainted alcohol, with disastrous results including blindness or brain 
damage.
  For example, the patent medicine Jamaica ginger, or ``Jake,'' was 
often consumed by those desiring to circumvent the ban on alcohol. In 
response, the Treasury Department mandated changes in the formula to 
make it undrinkable.
  In an attempt to fool government testing, unscrupulous vendors would 
sometimes adulterate their Jake with an industrial plasticizer. As a 
result, tens of thousands of victims suffered paralysis of their feet 
and hands--usually, this paralysis was permanent.
  Other amateur distillers used old automobile radiators to distill 
liquor, and the resulting product was dangerously high in lead salts--
which usually led to fatal lead poisoning.
  On December 5, 1933, the United States ratified the 21st amendment, 
repealing Prohibition and restoring the control of alcohol regulation 
to the States.
  For 75 years, this regulatory system has allowed each state to adopt 
individual laws that fit the beliefs of the residents of each State.
  State lawmakers, regulators, law enforcement officers, and public 
health officials in each State have developed and implemented effective 
policies that have protected consumers and encouraged safe and 
responsible consumption.
  While the United States now enjoys the safest and most responsible 
alcohol distribution network in the world, cases of tainted or 
counterfeit alcohol continue to occur across the globe.
  Just yesterday in the United Kingdom, a police raid found 1,100 
bottles of fake vodka that may blind consumers, many using the SPAR 
Imperial label.
  British officials believe it is likely that more of the vodka is on 
the market. Small shops and stores in particular have been told to be 
on the lookout.
  The potential for counterfeit alcohol and unscrupulous vendors 
remains a threat throughout the world today, and presents a real danger 
to consumers.
  The state-based system for regulating alcohol in the United States 
has served as one of the safest and most responsible systems for 
protecting consumers from tainted or counterfeit alcohol.
  I think it is fitting to salute the State lawmakers, regulators, law 
enforcement officers, and public health officials that have made this 
regulatory system successful.
  I'd like to thank the Judiciary Committee, specifically Chairman John 
Conyers and Ranking Member Lamar Smith, for their support in allowing 
us to consider this resolution today.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing the 75th anniversary 
of the repeal of Prohibition, and in commemorating the effective state-
based system of alcohol regulation.
  Vote ``yes'' on this important resolution.




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