The trade group representing California beer distributors, the California Beer & Beverage Distributors (CBBD) has reportedly donated $10,000 to the No on Proposition 19 campaign.
California’s Prop 19 is about the control and taxation of marijuana, not legalization per se, but it’s still seen as a step in the right direction by many beer lovers. The 420 Times has part of the story. Because of the CBBD’s donation and opposition to Prop 19, I’ve seen a number of sharp denunciations from many beer enthusiasts, criticizing both breweries who appear on the CBBD’s website and by extension the California Small Brewers Association.
Since I work with the CSBA, I wanted to set the record straight. The CSBA does not take a stand on non-industry related issues and has no stated position on Prop 19. The CSBA is strictly a grass roots organization and does not contribute PAC money to any initiative or make campaign contributions to any candidates.
The CBBD is made up strictly of beer distributors in California. They are independent beverage distributors and are not directly associated with craft brewers. Of course, most, if not all, of the CBBD distributors do business with craft breweries throughout the state. But the CBBD does not represent in any way the political interests of the craft brewing community or individual breweries.
I’ve written about this before, but the interests of distributors and breweries do not always align, and this is yet another example. Presumably, distributors feel that making marijuana commercially available represents competition for the products they sell, and that’s why they oppose it. Most craft breweries, I suspect, do not feel similarly threatened by Prop 19, but regardless of any brewery’s individual stance on it, the CBBD does not speak for them or the CSBA.
Thanks for the post, Jay. Watching some of the misinformed internet comments on this subject throughout the day has been pretty frustrating. It’s a shame the inferences were ever made in the first place.
This post is really helpful, especially for non-industry folks who are interested in craft beer. There will be more political battles to fight and consumers have to weigh in. It helps to know whose interests are in play on any given issue.
Sugesting that legalization would represent a direct threat to craft brewing is bordering on the insane. Whether you smoke or not 99% of craft brewers and enthusiasts go out of their way to pickup quality brew, it would be like saying Budweiser and Bud Light are a direct threat, they are on the opposite sides of the spectrum. I personally would rather pay $5 for a bomber of craft than a 6 or 12 pack of water lager.
I’m confused. Do you think I’m suggesting that or are you simply engaging in hyperbole? Because I specifically said I don’t think craft brewers themselves likely see any threat from Prop 19 being passed, but that distributors do. The beer distributors don’t only distribute craft beer, but macro beer and imports, too. If you don’t think they feel threatened, I’d certainly be interested to hear your theory on why else they’re so opposed to Prop 19.
Jay, I think you are right that big beer companies feel the threat of competition. At the same time, I think that there are other possible reasons that are somewhat distinct. These have to do with the alcohol beverage industry’s attempts to keep the regulatory environment friendly by promoting “responsible enjoyment” and similar initiatives.
By way of comparison, the Native American Church of North America, which uses peyote in religious ceremonies, vehemently opposed attempts by a Brazilian church that uses ayahuasca, a similar plant drug, to obtain legal permission in the US to hold its ceremonies. There’s no money involved in that example, but in the beverage industry anymore, it’s only legitimacy that makes profit possible.
Advocating a continued increase in mayhem & tyranny solely for the purpose of financial gain, like the prison guard’s union, the DEA, or the alcohol industry, is both despicable and unconscionable.
May I ask you all to please consider the following very carefully: It wasn’t alcohol that caused the surge in crime and homicide during alcohol prohibition in the 1920s, it was the prohibition of alcohol. That’s why many of us find it hard to believe that the same thing is not happening now. We clearly have a prohibition fueled violent crime problem. A huge number of these violent crimes are perpetrated by criminal syndicates and gangs who use the proceeds from the sales of illegal substances to further even more of their criminal activities.
The second biggest business during prohibition in Detroit was liquor at $215 million a year and employing about 50,000 people. Authorities were not only helpless to stop it, many were part of the problem. During one raid the state police arrested Detroit Mayor John Smith, Michigan Congressman Robert Clancy and Sheriff Edward Stein.
The Mexican cartels are ready to show, that when it comes to business, they also like to be nonpartisan. They will buy-out or threaten politicians of any party, make deals with whoever can benefit them, and kill those who are brave or foolish enough to get in their way.
If you support prohibition you’ve helped create the prison-for-profit synergy with drug lords.
If you support prohibition you’ve helped remove many important civil liberties from those citizens you falsely claim to represent.
If you support prohibition you’ve helped put previously unknown and contaminated drugs on the streets.
If you support prohibition you’ve helped to escalate Murder, Theft, Muggings and Burglaries.
If you support prohibition you’ve helped evolve local gangs into transnational enterprises with intricate power structures that reach into every corner of society, controlling vast swaths of territory with significant social and military resources at their disposal.
Prohibition is nothing less than a grotesque dystopian nightmare. We have to regulate, and there’s simply no time like the present!