A new study by a California group opposed to the privatization of liquor sales reports that alcohol-related deaths rise when the government turns those sales over the private sector.

Officials at the Marin Institute, which describes itself as an alcohol industry watchdog, studied the privatization of liquor sales in British Columbia, Canada, from 2003 to 2008. The group reported that alcohol-related deaths increased by 27.5 percent. Liquor markets also quickly sprang up, increasing by more than 40 percent.

Gov. Bob McDonnell has advocated the privatization of liquor sales in Virginia as a way to help replenish the state’s transportation fund, but he’s been met at every step by strong opposition within the General Assembly.