Booze and sex go hand in hand, so it makes sense that a new study finds that raising sales tax on alcohol can help lower STD rates. An article in Newser says,
Published in the Journal of Preventative Medicine, researchers discovered that when Maryland raised its alcohol sales tax from 6% to 9% in 2011, gonorrhea rates dropped 24% in the 18 months afterwards. The study compared gonorrhea rates across all states both before and after Maryland’s tax increase on booze, and found Maryland was the exceptional state as STI rates rose around the country. Study leader Stephanie Staras says the results of raising taxes are so remarkable that they “are comparable to the effectiveness of condom distribution.”
This may work, but the bottom line is, it boils down to personal responsibility.
