The Wyoming state legislature may consider a bill that would divert funds from the alcohol tax to programs that provide treatment for substance abuse.
It’s estimated that alcohol abuse costs the state 843 million dollars a year.
Casper representative Bunky Loucks is sponsoring the bill. He says the bill would ta
ke 15 percent of the funds raised from alcohol tax, or roughly two million dollars and give it to the Wyoming Department of Health to help combat substance abuse.
“I thought, the money is there; let’s get the discussion on the table. If we think as a state we have a problem with that we need to get money there. I surely don’t want to see us raise taxes because we’re already being taxed on it. So let’s divert some of that money and get it into the right hands.”
If approved the bill would go into effect on July first.