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Prevention Action Alliance
Alcoholic Ice Cream Is a Rocky Road
In 2017, the Ohio legislature took up legislation allowing for the sale of ice cream with alcohol in it.
Now, State Representative Catherine Ingram, D-Cincinnati, wants to
relax the law further to allow for alcohol-infused ice cream straight
to your door. This comes after a meeting between Rep. Ingram and the
CEO of Buzzed Bull Creamery, which is based in Cincinnati:
“In 2018, we began researching how to make this [home delivery] a
reality,” Buzzed Bull Creamery wrote on its website. “We connected with
local Rep. Ingram and have been working diligently with her or the last
1 plus year to get a bill passed to accommodate these requests.”
From there, Buzzed Bull Creamery spells out that passage of the bill
will allow them to sell ice cream to go from its store, partner with
delivery services, and sell it on the shelves of grocery stores. In
other words, it will increase the access and availability of alcohol
and create more opportunities for abuse.
Frankly, this bill is premature. Delivering alcohol to people’s homes
is problematic, and regulators and law enforcement are struggling to
figure out how to ensure that alcohol companies are being compliant.
The delivery services could include FedEx, UPS, and other household
delivery companies. There are dozens of news articles about alcohol
deliverers neglecting to check IDs and giving alcohol to people who
appear underage. Clearly, the enforcement of 21 and up delivery needs
bolstered.
There’s more research to be done, too, on whether ice cream infused
with alcohol or home delivery of alcohol encourages underage or binge
use. Further, the bill was amended to remove the limit of four pints
per customer per day that was enacted in 2017. If passed, customers
could buy as many pints as they want of this alcohol ice cream, making
it that much easier for an of-age adult to share alcohol-infused ice
cream with underage drinkers.
But the Buzzed Bull Creamery story also highlights an important lesson
for us all. A local CEO kept in touch with his elected official and is
in the process of seeing the laws changed to benefit his company. By
keeping in touch with our legislators, we can likewise get laws changed
to protect our communities and the families that live in them.
Why not start today? Call your legislator and share with them your
thoughts about this bill, the budget, prevention, or any number of
other topics. Only by staying in touch with our legislators can we hope
to advocate for prevention.
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