Page 45 - July Hawaii Beverage Guide

SPIRITSCOPE
JULY 2017
an analysis of the combined impact of beer, wine & spirits production, distribution and retailing along with the excise, property, income, sales and other taxes paid. THAT would be a big story!
PICKER PICKLE...As the U.S. steps up immigration law enforcement and contemplates a border wall and other measures to exclude those lacking official permission to be here, concerns are mounting about the impact such policies will have on certain industries, especially agriculture. Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA) has said that “of California’s estimated 560,000 farmworkers, 70 percent are in the country without authorization.”
“Our employees are very nervous about their families, their children,” said Oscar Renteria, owner of Renteria Vineyard Management.
“There’s always news about ICE and raids, even in Napa. There’s a tremendous amount of fear that exists in the migrant community.
Especially here, in Napa Valley. They’re always been a certain fear but it’s in the forefront now.”
It will be interesting to see if a serious labor shortage develops and how it is resolved.
GUT CHECK ... Can a gastric bypass turn you into an alcoholic? One in five patients who undergo a popular weight-loss surgical procedure develop a drinking problem, research suggests.
Patients who have a gastric bypass - where the size of the stomach is reduced - have twice the risk of alcohol abuse compared to those who have a gastric band fitted, a new study reveals.
Within five years of having a bypass, 20.8 percent of patients develop symptoms of alcohol abuse compared to 11.3 percent who have
a gastric band, the findings show. Although the study fails to speculate on why this may occur, previous research suggests gastric bypass surgery causes a higher elevation of alcohol in the blood than weight-loss bands, resulting in the substance being more addictive.
In 2013, around 179,000 weight- loss surgeries were performed in the US, with approximately 34 percent having a bypass and 14 percent having a band fitted.
PROFITING FROM POT... The legal marijuana industry brought in between $4 billion and $4.5 billion in 2016, outselling Viagra and Cialis, paid music streaming services, tequila, and Girl Scout cookies.
In 2016, sales of medical and recreational marijuana increased more than 30% over the year prior, according to the 2017 Marijuana Business Factbook, an industry report produced by the research and editorial teams at trade publication Marijuana Business Daily.
Despite mixed signals coming out of the Trump administration on where the president and the US Department of Justice stand, sales of medical and recreational marijuana are expected to rise another 30% this year, hitting between $5.1 billion and $6.1 billion.
The Marijuana Business Factbook points out that if it does, legal weed will add frozen pizza and retail ice cream to the list of industries it has eclipsed in revenue.. ■
Duncan H. Cameron has been writing for and about the spirits industry since 1971. Send questions or comments to 4211 Oakhill Road, Fredericksburg, VA 22408.
HAWAIIBEVGUIDE.COM JULY 2017 HAWAII BEVERAGE GUIDE A-11