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Local brewery, lawmaker weighs in on proposed Washington State blood alcohol level bill

If passed, Washington would be the second state in the country to have a 0.05 BAC limit. One local brewer said the bill would be detrimental to Washington bars.

SPOKANE, Wash. — Washington lawmakers are pushing for a bill to lower Washington State's blood alcohol (BAC) level to 0.05.

If passed, Washington would be the second state in the country to have a 0.05 BAC limit.

One local brewer said the bill would be detrimental to bars across the state.

Co-owner of Natural 20 Brewing Company Reece Carlson has owned the pub since 2017.

"In the crop beer industry, the alcohol percentages are slightly higher than you find in your canned or bottled beer," Carlson said.

Carlson said he is keeping a close eye on state legislation aimed at combating DUI-related incidents, saying it's a topic his business always factors in.

"If somebody were to hop in their car and hit someone or cause property damage, that comes back on us," Carlson said.

In 2023, the Washington Traffic Commission reported 810 traffic deaths in Washington State, with 400 of those involving an impaired driver.

"That's one person who dies due to [an] alcohol collision every single day in our state," Washington State Senator John Lovick said. "That's unacceptable."

Lovick, who is sponsoring the proposed bill, said he's been trying to pass this legislation for three years. Lovick said he believes impaired driving deaths would go down and Washington roads would be safer.

"People have just reached a level of fatigue because of drunk drivers, reckless drivers and aggressive drivers," Lovick said.

Carlson said as a server, seeing someone at a 0.08 BAC level is easier to spot than someone at a 0.05 BAC level.

"The signs of intoxication are so much lower that it makes it incredibly hard for us to judge," Carlson said. "Has this person had too much or is this just [that this] person is just an overly social individual?" 

In some cases, Carlson said customers over 180 pounds would be able to have one Pilsner at his business.

"Anyone below that wouldn't be able to finish this without being impaired," Carslon said.

It's a concern as Lovick is confident Senate Bill 5067 will be successful. 

"If we get it to the floor for a vote, it's going to pass," Lovick said.

Carlson believes the issue can be a matter of what it costs.

"I think that the problem isn't necessarily that the legal line for drinking is the resources that people have for ways to get home in an affordable way," Carlson said.

As Carlson worries about his and other businesses across the state, he hopes a different solution can be made to solve drunk driving deaths.

"There's a lot of facilities that are required to change that model, and I think we'd see a lot of businesses would not even exist anymore," Carlson said.

The Washington State Legislature is scheduled to start on January 13, 2025.

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