Lawmaker’s plan to restrict food stamp purchases sparks controversy

• Arizona lawmaker proposes new food stamp purchase limits • Current SNAP benefits already restrict certain items like tobacco and alcohol • Average monthly SNAP benefit in Arizona is about $360 per family

As federal courts wrestle over funding food stamp programs, one Arizona lawmaker is preparing legislation to further restrict what can be bought with them.

And while Rep. Leo Biasiucci, R-Lake Havasu City, acknowledges that there already are limits on benefits in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — tobacco and alcohol for example — he says the whole purpose of the federally funded program, by its very name, is to supplement nutrition. For that reason, he wants to build a program that mirrors one used by pregnant women, new mothers and their offspring in the Women, Infan