Colorado is the most recent state to subject liquor regulations to a vote
Following last week's midterm elections, there were other races worth keeping an eye on: the Georgia Senate, Los Angeles Mayoral, and Arizona Governor campaigns all kept us on the edge of our seats. However, there is one race in Colorado that is too close to call and will effect millions of drinkers in the state. Proposition 125, if enacted, would make it simpler for people to purchase wine alongside their groceries.
What is Proposition 125 in Colorado?
Colorado just approved legislation enabling supermarket and convenience stores to sell full-strength beer three years ago, according to Colorado Public Radio (CPR). Proposition 125, if enacted, would enable the same for wine beginning March 1, 2023.
According to CPR, while large supermarket chains and IT businesses lobbied for the measure's approval, many voters remained undecided due to the possible harm to privately owned liquor stores. The Colorado Licensed Beverage Association believes that when grocery store beer sales were legalized, small companies lost 30-40% of their revenues, and it expects a similar hit with Prop 125.
Other liquor-related issues on the Colorado ballot this year failed to pass, including one enabling alcohol delivery and another boosting the number of outlets a liquor company could operate. Nonetheless, voters appear to be equally divided on the subject of wine, with 50.53% in favor and 49.47% opposed. In the coming weeks, an automatic recount might be initiated.
Why don't certain grocery stores offer wine, beer, or liquor?
Colorado is not the only state that has limits on where booze may be sold. Grocery shops are not permitted to sell alcohol in these states:
- Alaska
- Delaware
- Maryland (varies by county) (varies by county)
- State of New Jersey (only in very rare cases)
- Providence, Rhode Island
There are jurisdictions, such as Colorado, that can currently only sell beer in grocery stores (no wine or spirits), with even more severe limits on the sort of beer:
- Connecticut
- Kansas (ABV must be 6% or less)
- Kentucky
- Minnesota (ABV must be 3.2% or below)
- Mississippi
- New York City
- Utah (ABV must be 4% or less)
And other Colorado citizens want to join the states where grocery shops may sell beer and wine but not liquor:
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Florida
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Montana
- State of New Hampshire
- North Carolina (NC)
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- South Carolina (SC)
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington, DC
If your state isn't on any of these lists, congrats—you know how to party and can do it with one-stop-shop ease at almost any grocery store.
The reason that liquor laws vary so greatly across the United States is that once Prohibition ended in 1933, those pieces of legislation were left up to state and municipal governments—there wasn't even a federally legislated drinking age until 1984.
According to Reason Magazine, at the time, states either had the government entirely regulate alcohol sales or implemented a tier structure that required alcohol manufacturers to be legally different organizations from distributors and merchants of alcohol. And now, since the regulations have been in place for so long, amending them creates a significant difference between liquor shop owners and grocery store owners in areas like Colorado.
These restrictions may not feel ancient if you're used to them, but when compared to modern conveniences, they're laughable. Why is it that you can get pot delivered at the drop of a hat in Colorado yet alcohol delivery is a difficult issue? Of course, regardless of the regulations in any state, persons of legal drinking age have access to beer and wine. It merely needs more ahead planning depending on where you reside and whether regulations remain in effect.
#Wine #Colorado #WineBan #LiquorBan
SOURCE: theinventory
What do you think of this blog? Write down at the COMMENT section below.
No comments:
Post a Comment