# Should Everclear be banned?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-everclear-be-banned/595830>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [September 10, 2011, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-everclear-be-banned/595830 "2011-09-10T15:54:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 8

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**Author:** ![Kable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@Kable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kable)\
**Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-everclear-be-banned/595830/141 "2013-02-20T03:41:26Z")

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> [@Steophan](#):
>
> Hi, I’m an alcoholic. I’ve not drunk for 14 months now, despite living somewhere where alcohol consumption is much more socially tolerated than much of the US.
> 
> No, it shouldn’t be banned. I drank, always, because I chose to. It’s not your business, or anyone else’s, to tell me what I can choose to do, unless it may harm _other people_. You can, and indeed should, tax things that may harm myself as I’ll be expecting to have that harm fixed.
> 
> To make it clear, if I choose to drink myself to death, I have every right to. I chose not to, and the legality and availability of alcohol had no bearing on that choice.

So you think that you should be able to do anything you want so long as it doesn’t hurt other people? Sounds fair enough to me.

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**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\
**Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-everclear-be-banned/595830/142 "2013-02-20T04:20:10Z")

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> [@Kable](#):
>
> So you think that you should be able to do anything you want so long as it doesn’t hurt other people? Sounds fair enough to me.

Glad we convinced you of that :rolleyes:

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**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\
**Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-everclear-be-banned/595830/143 "2013-02-20T11:23:21Z")

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> [@Kable](#):
>
> So you think that you should be able to do anything you want so long as it doesn’t hurt other people? Sounds fair enough to me.

Yes, that’s correct.

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**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\
**Post date:** [February 25, 2013, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-everclear-be-banned/595830/144 "2013-02-25T22:57:40Z")

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> [@Snarky\_Kong](#):
>
> By the way, do you imagine people don’t get drunk on \<6% beer? I don’t have stats, but I imagine that 75% of binge drinking in the US is done on beer that has a lower abv than 6%

When you figure that 18 of the top 20 best selling beers in the [United States](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/03/top-selling-domestic-beers_n_1846582.html#slide=1454226) have an abv of less than 6%, and 7 of the top 10 best selling have an abv of less than 5%m I’d say that it’s at least 75%, probably even higher.

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**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\
**Post date:** [February 25, 2013, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-everclear-be-banned/595830/145 "2013-02-25T23:45:38Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> and she has channeled her grief into a crusade to ban the sale of Everclear and other high-proof booze in Wisconsin, as some other states have done.

Say it all she is projecting her anger instead of dealing with it. Nothing new here to see in humanity - move on.

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**Author:** ![SirGalahad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/71c47a/32.png) [@SirGalahad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SirGalahad)\
**Post date:** [February 26, 2013, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-everclear-be-banned/595830/146 "2013-02-26T07:12:24Z")

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> [@Kable](#):
>
> Shouldn’t we outlaw vodka too? There are 75,000 alcohol related deaths every year in the USA alone!
> 
> [http://www.nbcnews.com/id/6089353/ns/health-addictions/t/alcohol-linked-us-deaths-year/#.USGnVVo6WnY](http://www.nbcnews.com/id/6089353/ns/health-addictions/t/alcohol-linked-us-deaths-year/#.USGnVVo6WnY)

I get your sense of humor, and I understand the irony … but the scary thing is, the Authorities actually tried Prohibition once, I mean they really wanted it to be a success. That’s scary. Alcohol, pot, things that rhyme with buns, whatever, the Government isn’t trying to ban or restrict anything because they care about us, but because either some politicians will acreet votes, or because it will save money somewhere along the way. Whether it’s your head through the windshield, or your liver dissolving, in the end it costs Society X amount of money for you to get injured or sick.

Now, emotional lobbying by distraught relatives of victims of some anti-social inanimate object or substance suites the Governments agenda just fine. The more pathos, the easier to make new laws banning new things. Funny, back in the 60s I figured we’d have legalized a load of fun substances by now … instead we’re hearing talk of banning established ingredients like ethyl alcohol. What’s next?

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