SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A new federal study shows Utah had the lowest rate of alcohol-related deaths over a five-year period among eleven states that participated in the report.
The report was released this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It includes data from 2006-2010.
The finding seem to back the argument made by the Mormon church and many state legislators that Utah's strict liquor laws keep residents safe.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints called on legislators to leave the state's liquor laws alone this year. The church, which teaches its members to abstain from alcohol, says the laws strike the proper balance.
Church spokesman Eric Hawkins says the new study is another example of the effectiveness of the laws.
