Corbett serves on the Task Force on Alcohol Pricing and Addiction Services
By Terry Murry on Monday, April 22nd, 2024 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
PENDLETON – Pendleton City Manager Robb Corbett is one of 20 members of the state’s Task Force on Alcohol Pricing and Addiction Services. The group is tasked with studying alcohol addiction and ways to fund options for its treatment.
“It is a large task with many different elements,” Corbett said. “It touches on fairness of taxes, accountability for the use of tax dollars, and the effectiveness of treatment services in Oregon.”
He said it will take time for the group to align the information it’s getting with the different issues the task force is tasked to explore. The group has met a number of times since it was created by House Bill 3610 in 2023 and Corbett says each of the meetings has been filled with presentations about some aspect of the issues.
The issues include how alcohol addiction treatment funds are distributed, the benefits and drawbacks of imposing taxes on beer and wine, and additional funding options for alcohol addiction treatment. Corbett said alcoholism is a problem that touches every community in the state.
“Most families in Pendleton are impacted by addiction and many are reliant on Oregon Health Authority to receive services to live healthy lives,” he said. “In my opinion, addiction is a leading cause of homelessness, which is one of the biggest problems in cities today.”
The task force is made up of state lawmakers; public health experts; representatives of Oregon’s beer, wine, and cider industries; Tribal representatives; and Corbett, who is the only municipal official in the group.
