On November 3, the Oregon Society of Addiction Medicine (ORSAM), Oregon Recovers, and nine other organizations sent a letter to Governor Kate Brown in support of raising the beer and wine taxes in the state and using that revenue to make significant investments in addiction prevention, treatment and recovery services.

The letter stressed that issues related to substance misuse, including harmful alcohol use, cost the state of Oregon billions of dollars each year. Furthermore, Oregon’s response to the addiction crisis routinely ranks among the worst in the country. An alcohol tax would address these issues by decreasing harmful alcohol use while also providing a new source of funding for addiction prevention, treatment, and recovery services. The letter concludes by applauding Governor Brown for considering including a beer and wine tax increase in her proposed 2021-2023 budget.

Read the letter here.