Please allow me to make a clarification on your story of April 7, "No sell list of Anchorage drinkers, money for treatment wins Senate support."
Concerning the no sell list, we did look at including those provisions into state law but it turned out to be too complicated to do something statewide when this was clearly a local option situation. And it appears that local governments already have this power to regulate liquor stores, so we will approach it in that manner.
At least three communities — Barrow, Kotzebue and Tanana — have already restricted liquor sales for problem drinkers, and it seems to be working.
The appropriation is for a case-managed, coordinated approach to provide treatment for this group of public inebriates. The type of behavior we see from them on our streets would certainly never be tolerated in our own homes, and Anchorage is our home. We have recruited Anchorage's best providers for outreach, detox, rehabilitation, job reentry and transitional housing.
Providing treatment and demanding personal accountability is a respectful and compassionate approach that we hope will at last make a difference for our communities and for inebriates themselves.
— Paul Fuhs,
project manager
Fairview Business Association
Anchorage