The Alcohol Monster: Tennessee’s Dirty Secret
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| Alcohol Monster |
Tennessee’s Favorite Drug
Whiskey is the state mascot politicians never admit. Tennessee pours out distillery tours, Broadway bars, and country festivals like they’re holy sacraments — all while raking in taxes. Every drink poured on-premise carries a 15% “liquor-by-the-drink” tax, plus excise fees and sales tax on top. That cash stream feeds local governments and even sends a cut to K–12 schools. Lawmakers point to those checks with pride, as if public education should depend on hangovers.
Tourism loves the bottle too. In recent years, non-local visitors to Tennessee distilleries generated billions of dollars in spending and over $3 billion in economic impact. Politicians wave that flag, calling it “economic development.” They don’t wave the bill Tennessee families keep paying.
The True Cost: Blood, Steel, and Cells
Behind the neon shine is a wreckage. Alcohol is no harmless indulgence:
In 2023, 7,565 impaired-driving crashes were reported in Tennessee. Impaired crashes are much more likely to be fatal than sober ones.
ERs treat tens of thousands of alcohol-related injuries and illnesses every year, from car wrecks to poisonings to domestic assaults.
Public health researchers estimate alcohol contributes to thousands of deaths in the state annually.
Substance-related offenses linked to alcohol and drugs fuel incarceration costs, sucking up taxpayer dollars while industry dollars fund campaign war chests.
Politicians don’t talk about those line items. But ask the families who bury loved ones, or the counties that pay for jail beds. That’s the real tab.
The Gateway Nobody Mentions
Marijuana gets called a “gateway drug,” but alcohol is the real first door. Studies show early use of alcohol (and tobacco) raises the risk of later substance abuse. Whether that’s causal or just tied to shared risk factors, the pattern is undeniable: if you want to see where most drug-use journeys begin, look at what’s sold right next to soda in every corner store.
Health Risks Politicians Ignore
The science isn’t soft anymore. Federal health agencies say alcohol increases cancer risk, damages the liver, and fuels heart disease. Recent reviews warn that even low levels of drinking carry risks. Less alcohol = less risk, period.
Yes, ethanol has limited medical uses — an antidote for methanol poisoning, a topical antiseptic — but that’s hardly an endorsement of pouring whiskey into your bloodstream. Those are clinical tools, not green lights for cultural addiction.
Why They Protect the Monster
So why does the alcohol industry get a free pass while cannabis gets demonized? Because booze is a cash cow for the state. It props up local budgets, funds campaigns through industry donations, and fuels a booming tourism brand.
That’s the monster: Tennessee politicians protect a product that kills, wrecks, and cages people — while blocking safer alternatives like THC and THCA. It’s not about morals. It’s about money.
Final Hit
If Tennessee lawmakers really cared about families, public health, and freedom, they’d stop shielding the alcohol monster while criminalizing cannabis. One destroys lives every day, the other could save them.
🔥 Tags:
Tennessee alcohol taxes, Tennessee whiskey industry, alcohol vs cannabis, DUI statistics Tennessee, alcohol health risks, Tennessee incarceration alcohol
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