We’ve tried, but we just can’t take it anymore!

This is one of those studies that are done that people look back on and say “well no shit Sherlock”.  The study, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation showed that each time the state of Alaska raised its alcoholic beverage tax, fewer deaths were caused by or related to alcohol.  Dr. Alexander Wagenaar, a professor at the University of Florida's Department of Epidemiology and Health Policy Research looked at 28 years work of data to come to a conclusion that most people have figured out years ago.  The more alcohol cost the less your dollar stretches, the less you drink.  Where is my research grant money?!?  I came to the same conclusion with NO research. 

The sad thing is this is not the first study of its kind.  Finland had high alcohol taxes. In March 2004, the Finnish government lowered the taxes nearly 33 to 44 percent to protect domestic sales because officials worried that patrons would flock to neighboring nations in search of cheaper booze.

Consumption levels in Finland increased 50 percent from the previous year. Finnish researchers also found that arrests for drunken and disorderly conduct increased by 11 percent after taxes were lowered.

University of Helsinki researchers used postmortem toxicology tests to determine that alcohol was the underlying cause of death for 1,860 Finns that year, a 20 percent increase from 2003.

Now I am left to wonder is this a study in alcohol consumption and taxes, or a waste of time that could have been figured out with basic economics (supply and demand).