Alaska bars and liquor stores must display Alaska alcohol cancer warning signs starting Alaska alcohol cancer warning signs starting August 1 under a new state law. This health warning requirement marks the first time a US state has ordered signage linking alcohol consumption directly to cancer.
The new notices will expand existing mandatory warnings, which already inform parents about birth defect risks during pregnancy from alcohol consumption. Alaska lawmakers passed the requirement as part of Senate Bill 15, which lets employees under 21 serve alcoholic drinks.
A similar bill passed last year, but Governor Mike Dunleavy vetoed it after lawmakers missed the final adjournment deadline. This time, legislators approved the bill well before adjournment, with the Senate giving unanimous final approval on April 4.
Governor Dunleavy let the measure become law without signing it, allowing the policy to take effect regardless. Representative Andrew Gray, a Democrat from Anchorage, strongly supported his signage provision and led efforts to introduce it in the legislature.
Gray initially proposed that House Bill 37 require alcohol cancer warning signs, which lawmakers later combined with the alcohol serving age bill. The decision to incorporate those provisions mirrored last year’s attempt, but this version met all procedural deadlines and avoided a veto.
The signs will reflect recent medical findings showing that alcohol raises risks for several cancers, including colon and breast cancer types. Gray and health experts credited US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s 2024 advisory for increasing awareness of alcohol’s link to cancer.
Murhty’s report warned that even moderate alcohol consumption raises cancer risk and recommended new labelling on alcoholic beverage containers. He identified alcohol as the third leading preventable cause of cancer, ranking just behind tobacco use and obesity.
Only South Korea requires cancer warnings on alcohol, and Ireland will begin enforcing similar labelling laws starting next year. Alaska’s move to require alcohol warning signs puts public health at the forefront and signals a national shift may follow.
