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The Oregon Health Authority has updated a report on the economic impacts of a new alcohol tax with a preamble acknowledging potential conflicts of interest.
The disclaimer comes after WW reported last month that the report was ordered released by the agency’s director, Sejal Hathi, despite the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expressing concerns over its reliance on research funded by the alcohol industry. Hathi told WW she didn’t know about the CDC’s concerns at the time, and an agency spokesperson promised to address them in an update.
Related: The Feds Warned Oregon Officials That a Report on Alcohol Taxes Was Fundamentally Flawed
That update is now here, in the form of a one-page “note to readers” that says the agency “acknowledges that several of these studies received funding from the alcohol industry and that such financial support can create conflicts of interest and influence research outcomes.” It appears on Office of the State Public Health Director letterhead dated Aug. 15.
“Industry funding does not automatically invalidate a study’s findings, but awareness of funding sources, conflicts of interest, and potential biases is important when interpreting results,” it went on.
The report, completed in 2021 by contractor ECOnorthwest but not released until The Oregonian discovered three years later that it had been shelved by agency officials, touched off a firestorm.
It found that a major hike in alcohol taxes, a strong desire of the OHA, would have limited impact on binge drinking. The findings were then cited by a senior state economist who has told policymakers that taxes wouldn’t significantly curb usage.
(The report also found that alcohol’s total cost to Oregonians was $4.8 billion in 2019, a number that has certainly risen since. New data shows alcohol killed over 3,000 people in 2022, a steep rise from pre-pandemic totals.)
A task force made up of policymakers, advocates and industry representatives is currently divided over whether to recommend legislators hike taxes during the upcoming legislative session in an effort to pay for new behavioral health treatment programs. It met today but found little consensus. A final report is due in October.