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Legislative forum hears experts defend three‑tier alcohol system, warn of delivery, counterfeit and underage risks
Summary
Arkansas legislators heard industry and regulatory witnesses defend the nation’s three‑tier alcohol system as a tool for public safety, tax collection and competition, while warning that direct‑to‑consumer and interstate shipping create enforcement gaps, higher underage delivery rates and counterfeit risks.
Legislators on the Senate City, County & Local Affairs Committee and the House Committee on Rules on a joint panel heard experts Monday defend the state‑based three‑tier system for alcohol regulation and raise concerns about expanding direct‑to‑consumer and interstate shipping.
The most immediate takeaway for lawmakers: presenters said the three‑tier system — manufacturers to wholesalers to retailers — gives regulators trackability, helps collect excise taxes and curbs counterfeit alcohol, but opening interstate retail shipping or allowing third‑party delivery without permits can undermine those controls.
Patrick Maroney, former director of the Colorado Liquor Enforcement Division, described the three‑tier structure as a long‑standing regulatory framework…
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