Colorado Funds Addiction Treatment With Alcohol Fee Plan

Colorado is taking a page from its gambling playbook to save lives from alcohol addiction.

Lawmakers introduced House Bill 1271, which would add small fees to beer, wine, and spirits sales to fund treatment and prevention programs. The approach mirrors how Colorado already uses gambling revenues to address addiction.

The need is urgent. In 2024, Colorado recorded 1,419 alcohol-induced deaths, more than the 1,409 people who died from unintentional drug overdoses that year. The state's alcohol death rate is double the national average and twice what it was just a decade ago.

"We still have a rate of alcohol deaths that is twice the country as a whole," said Dr. Bill Burman, a Denver Health physician working with the Colorado Alcohol Impacts Coalition.

The fees would be tiny for consumers. A six-pack of beer would cost about 3 cents more, a bottle of wine would go up 5 cents, and a fifth of spirits would increase by 26 cents. But together, these pennies could raise about $35 million annually for life-saving programs.

The money would go where it's needed most. Uninsured people and Medicaid patients often struggle to find treatment providers who will accept them. Rural areas lack basic treatment infrastructure. The funds could also support public health campaigns to balance out the $70 million the alcohol industry spends on marketing each year.

The Bright Side

What makes this approach especially promising is how it creates lasting change. The bill would establish three state enterprises with an 11-member governing board to identify gaps in treatment and prevention services. Three seats are reserved for alcohol industry representatives, ensuring their voice in solving the problem.

Similar fee increases in other states have shown an added benefit. When alcohol costs even slightly more, consumption drops, especially among young people and heavy drinkers. That means fewer people developing alcohol use disorders in the first place.

The model is already working for Colorado's gambling industry, where revenues help fund treatment for gambling addiction. Applying the same logic to alcohol makes sense when alcohol-related deaths outnumber overdose deaths.

The bill has bipartisan sponsorship and builds on a similar 2024 proposal. While the alcohol industry opposes the measure, citing economic concerns, supporters argue that the health crisis demands action.

Colorado is showing that small changes can fund big solutions when lives are on the line.