New Hampshire Alcohol Fund in Danger

The New Hampshire Governor's Commission Alcohol Fund, an initiative that uses a percentage of the state's alcohol-sales profit to fund treatment and prevention programs, could lose its funding if not renewed by the state legislature, Sea Coast Online reported Sept. 22.

The Alcohol Fund, which expires in 2005, raises an annual $3.2 million from a 3 percent cut of the state's alcohol revenues for various treatment programs, including residential recovery and underage-drinking prevention. The fund was temporarily suspended this year in order to balance the state's budget.

Many initiatives would be lost if the program is not renewed, such as full-time drug and alcohol counselors at various high schools and colleges throughout the state. This creates a problem for effective treatment. For instance, students from Portsmouth High School would need to be relocated as far as Natick, Mass.

"This funding is absolutely essential," executive director of Southeastern New Hampshire Services, Ray McGarty, said.