Residents in Maryland would support increasing tax on alcoholic beverages if the extra money was spent on combating the problem, it has been claimed. The Maryland Chapter of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence found that 72 per cent of respondents backed plans that would tackle alcohol dependence in the state, wbal. com reports. Indeed, 65 per cent would also approve of increasing public expenditure in order to improve the amount of provisions. Dr Nancy Rosen-Cohen, executive director of the group, told the news provider that it was clear that people wanted to see the proposal brought in. "Creative budget solutions like a tax on alcohol are needed in today's economic climate when services are underfunded and budgets are being cut," she added. It was recently announced that South Dakota has a higher-than-average rate of alcohol dependence - with 60 per cent of those surveyed admitting to consuming a beverage in the last 30 days, the Daily Republic reports. By Natasha Harrison