“The great state of Wyoming has banked on the unquenchable thirst of her people since the late 19th Century.”
That’s the conclusion of a very well-researched article in the Jackson Hole, Wyoming free independent newspaper called the JH Weekly, or Planet Jackson Hole. If you are interested to read a fairly detailed account of the ups and downs of liquor and licensing in our fair state, here’s the place to read it. Among all of the facts to be found there, these were worthy of our attention here.
In 2007 Wyoming raked in over $2.7 million in state excise taxes on wine and spirits sales. Besides that, there are the liquor licenses which are hard to get and often sell for “six figures on the open market.” Then they bring in between $1500-3000 every year thereafter. In 2009, throughout the state, there were a total of 1,360 liquor licenses, divided as follows: 738 Retail, 276 Restaurant, 23 Bar and Grill, 121 Limited (Club), 73 County Malt Beverage, 31 Malt Beverage Wholesalers, and 12 Microbreweries. In Jackson Hole there are 9 licenses available.
In some states, liquor is sold by private stores, and while regulated and taxed, the franchise isn’t owned by the government. “Wyoming is an alcohol control state. Alcohol is a controlled substance, you know?” explained Tom Montoya, chief of enforcement at the Wyoming Liquor Division. He says this guarantees tax collection on the alcohol. About 2,200 products are stocked in a warehouse for bars and restaurants to order from. 17.6 percent on every bottle goes to the state of Wyoming.
With the state taking such a large revenue on alcohol, it’s unlikely that they would want to give it up to private citizens. It also seems unlikely that the laws would ever get stricter regarding controlling the use of this substance either. Our state ranked 8th in alcohol consumption per person.
Of course there are the problems that come from all the alcohol consumption: drunk driving, irresponsible adults, fetal alcohol syndrome, binge drinking = alcohol poisoning. But hey, as long as the state is making money….
