Financed through the revenues generated by liquor sales in New Hampshire, the Alcohol Abuse, Prevention & Treatment Fund (“Alcohol Fund”) is an innovative, fiscally responsible, common sense approach to addressing substance misuse. The intent behind the creation of the Alcohol Fund was to direct 5% of gross profits of alcohol sales to substance use disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery.
About the Alcohol Fund
The Alcohol Abuse Prevention and Treatment Fund ('Alcohol Fund') supports hundreds of statewide prevention, treatment, and recovery programs. It is administered through the Governor’s Commission on Alcohol and Other Drugs.
Every other year, New Hampshire lawmakers must assess state revenues and expenses to build a state budget in HB 1 and HB 2, the state budget bills. This means the state must appropriately allocate five percent of gross profits from alcohol sales to the Alcohol Fund. Despite being a state law, the Alcohol Fund has historically been underfunded - the 2023 budget cycle was the first time since the program's inception that the Alcohol Fund was fully funded at 5% of gross profits.
To ensure New Hampshire remains committed to prevention, treatment and recovery, policymakers need to:
- Utilize the Alcohol Fund for the intended purpose of supporting contracted prevention, treatment, and recovery programs
- Continue to fund the Alcohol Fund at 5% of liquor gross profits ($10.7 million) in 2026 and 2027.
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Status
Governor Ayotte's budget proposal included full funding ($10.7 million per year) for the Alcohol Fund. However, the House of Representatives voted to fund the Alcohol Fund with money from the state's Opioid Abatement Trust Fund, which would limit approved funding to services for opioid misuse only. This would mean that funding would be cut for services related to alcohol or stimulant misuse.
NHPR: Money set aside to help NH's opioid crisis could be steered elsewhere in the state budget
