Let’s talk Turkey

Turkey -- 98% Muslim, a religion that forbids alcohol consumption. By far the lowest per capita alcohol consumption in the EU (Turkey is currently an EU candidate) at 2.7 liters per person aged 15 or older per year. The current population is 74 million people. There are over 200,000 places to buy alcohol beverages (according to Turkey's major newspaper, Hürriyet Daily News), but we'll round that DOWN to 200,000. That gives this relatively abstemious Muslim country a retail outlet for alcohol beverages for every 370 people.

Pennsylvania -- Generally considered Christian in religion; 42% do not claim to belong to any major church. Roman Catholics are the largest religious group, just under 4 million, but there are significant numbers of Protestants who belong to churches that frown on drinking, and some that outright forbid it. Per capita consumption is just under 4 times that of Turkey at 8.2 liters person aged 14 or older per year. The current population is 12.76 million people. There are 600 State Stores, about 1200 beer distributors, and 17,735 active liquor licenses (restaurants, delis, clubs, resorts, hotels, etc., according to the PLCB's own online database), or a total of 19,535. We'll round that up to 20,000, even though many liquor licensees do not exercise the option sell takeout (most restaurants, for example); we also have to recognize that the great majority of these are allowed to sell takeout beer only. That gives this modern, progressive, Western state a retail outlet for alcohol beverages for every 614 people. That's about half as many as in the Muslim country of Turkey (where ALL the stores are privately owned). Makes you wonder how and why Turkey has a lower alcohol death rate and lower DUI rate than PA with all those places to buy alcohol.