' Ban will leave a dry taste on vodka lovers' palates By Denise Fuller Of Iht Emerald Connoisseurs of Stolichnaya, the only Russian vodka sold in Oregon, soon won't find their favorite brand in state liquor stores. Karen Bjorklund, program direc tor for the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, estimates they had 130 vodka cases a few weeks ago, but she is unsure how long that supply will last. On Sept. 28, Oregon joined Iowa, Maine, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Utah, Washington and West Virginia in banning the future sales of Russian vodka. The ban is in response to the Soviet Union's downing of a Korean commercial jetliner with 269 peo ple aboard Sept. 1. Symbolic act a response to Soviet downing of jetliner Russian vodka sales were previously prohibited in Oregon after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1980. Of Oregon's total vodka sales, Stolichnaya, which means “The Capital City" in Russian, accounts for only 1.4 percent or approx imately one bottle out of every 100 sold, says Leon Joelson, a Eugene retail liquor agent. “It's quite possible we're selling more of Finnish vodka and other imports than the Stolichnaya. Peo ple who tend to buy a foreign pro duct have switched," Joelson says. Stolichnaya retails for $12.45 for a 750 ml bottle and SStOS for the 500 mL size. Oregon and all the other states that have banned vodka sales are "control" states, meaning the state is the sole retailer of liquor. "The vodka boycott is a symbol of outrage from America's grassroots and as a symbolic guesture it is welcome, but it is not a political measure against the Soviet regime," says Russian Prof. Fruim Yurevich. "Practical responses are limited, but in the long run more people become aware of the Soviet regime and its nature. The regime has an out ward veneer and doesn't expose what's below that veneer too often." But the symbolic value of the ban is limited. ■- \ I mm Photos by Dave Kao "It would be wonderful if we could solve the world's problems by refusing to sell a country's pro duct, " says Tom Hovet, political science at the University. "I think prohibiting the future sales of Russian vodka is sort of silly and not a lot of vodka is sold," says political science Prof. Tom Hovet. "We don't stop eating bananas because they're grown in Nicaragua." Instead, Hovet sug gests that measures should be taken by international aviation authorities. "It would be wonderful if we could solve the world’s problems by refusing to sell a country's pro duct," Hovet says. !, i - uq «p U | f |.] These bottles of Stolichnaya Russian vodka soon will become nonexistent due to Oregon's recent decision to ban the product in response to the Soviet downing of a Korean jet and its 269 passengers on Sept. 1. Stiffer penalties face Oregon drunk drivers By Mike Cross Of the Emerald Students indulging in alcoholic beverages may want to know about the tougher penalties involved with drinking and driving. The State Legislature passed three laws during the 1983 session that are designed to curb drunk driving in Oregon. All were signed into law by Gov. Vic Atiyeh "Our ma|or concern was due to the high incidence of deaths on our highways caus ed by drunk drivers" says House Minority Leader Larry Campbell, R-Eugene. Campbell says he was pleased with the overwhelming bipartisan support these bills rec eived. All three laws, which go into effect Satur day, will make it easier to convict those who drink and drive, Campbell says. The state also will have ample resources to enforce the new laws, he says. One of the bills. House Bill 2550, makes it a Class A misdemeanor for anyone 21 years of age or over to supply alt oholit beverages to a minor. Anyone over 21 faces a man ditory fine of $300 for violation of this law — and that's just for a first offense. A judge cannot suspend fines under any circumstances. HB 2975 affects those under 18 years of age. Specucally, if they're involved in a drug or alcohol offense while driving, they automatically lose their driver's license. Another law, created by the passage of Senate Bill 710, will automatically suspend drivers' licenses for 12 hours when they are stopped by police officers and retuse to take breath tests. The law will be passed shortly. . If no sober persons are with the drivers, they then will have their cars towed away — at their expense — and must find a means of getting home If drivers suspected of intoxication fail to r