Much ado has been made about this week’s “normalization” of Utah’s alcohol policy. In fact, much ado has always been made of Utah’s alcohol laws and any discussion wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the predominant religious culture’s influence on them.
Granted, Utah’s alcohol regulations can’t help but be influenced by the values of its people (see “The LDS Church and alcohol control policy” for more), but looking at other states it’s clear that Utah is far from being the only state to have “curious liquor laws.”
And yet, despite “Utah’s quirky alcohol laws,” the New York Times reported this year that local pubs and breweries here have been able to flourish and “don’t seem to be holding anyone back.”
To see that Utah is not alone, here is a cursory look at some of the alcohol laws around the rest of the country:
- this year, Oregon has proposed a 1,900% tax hike on beer
- according to this site, approximately 10% of the U.S. population live in a “dry county” and can’t buy alcohol in some form (they range from being “completely dry” to just “moist”)
- many cities ban the sale of single bottles of beer
- this Wikipedia list shows that every state has its own complicated regulatory scheme when it comes to the sale of alcohol, including very specific requirements of who can sell what and when
- a proposal to allow Sunday alcohol sales in Georgia bit the dust just last week (two other states prohibit Sunday sales: Indiana and Connecticut)
Also check out “Odd Alcohol Laws Keep the Party Spirit, Within Limits Of Course” and “Cheers! Stupid beer laws falling off.”
Perhaps Utah’s liberalization of alcohol laws will be a good thing. Some of the changes sound reasonable but on the whole, I’m not convinced that claims of boosting tourism are worth risking more DUIs. I would be happy if they made the punishments for DUI much more draconian (serious prison sentences and a permanent loss of drivers licenses) but at least it sounds like they will be increased somewhat.
It would be nice to think that these changes will at least end the need to feel sheepish about Utah’s alcohol laws (somehow I doubt that will happen). Rather than reflecting some theocratic plot to oppress the drinking rights of its citizens, Utah is just like many other states, regulating alcohol to make it safe while accessible.
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Tags: alcohol, utah, word of wisdom
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Trouble seems to be, it’s like holding on to a little boy by his suspenders (I know, this is anachronistic – nobody uses them any longer). He’ll lean against them with all his weight, and if you let go he’ll fall flat on his face.
It is a fitting analogy, IMO, to a lot of control issues.
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In your Wikipedia. list, take a close look at Pennsylvania. Somewhat like Utah, including state liquor stores for the sale of distilled spirits.
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Good point John.
People may quibble about Utah’s alcohol policy but it’s hardly strange or different in comparison to other states.
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Case in point: here is former Mayor Rocky Anderson quick to “explain” Utah to the rest of the country.
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David,
I agree with you completely (see, there can be bi-partisan consensus)..
I wish that my wife would “normalize” or liberalize her restrictions on Diet Coke.
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Chris H.
Wow. Thank you very much.
And I feel for your Diet Coke. I’m allowed to drink it but there have been moves put into play to create our own Zion Curtain.
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Just another thought, if I may allow myself to share it:
At no point in these discussions, such as in the above MSNBC video, is there are any acknowledgment that alcohol is a serious health and safety concern. Yes adults, should have the freedom to behave responsibly but there needs to be a serious discussion that alcohol is a serious problem. But glib and condescending chit-chat undermines serious attempts to find a proper balance.
Strangely he didn’t mention that Utah has one of the best records when it comes to DUI fatalities (this page seems to show that Utahns have the lowest rate alcohol-related deaths which suggest that we find plenty of other ways to die
) . And if Rocky’s so concerned about Utah’s record on drinking at least give it credit for the dubious distinction as the state which voted to overthrow Prohibition. -
I own a club in Boise and I can tell you that most of us here think the ideological hair splitting in Utah is hilarious. The Zion Curtain is being replaced with simple ID scanners that fall way short of the law’s intended goal. I’ve used simple scanners and they’re useless for long-term deterrence of underage drinking because fake IDs are so easy to get.
It’s far better to join an organization of venues that works together to share information in a responsible way like the “Club Watch Community Connection” (google it). It’s basically a neighborhood watch for bars and clubs that already prevents underage drinking and violence at 1,000s of clubs. I don’t know why Utah is trying to re-create the wheel when all the venues need to do is participate in Club Watch and be done with it.
Instead, your governor and legislature have gone from trying to turn Utah into a police state (original proposal was to connect all clubs to police databases!) to now relying on simple scanners that are nothing more than glorified paperweights. Wake up Utah and let the clubs regulate themselves! If you really want to “modernize” your drinking culture and tourism then get serious about joining the thousands of other clubs, bars and venues that are already gettin ‘er done!
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Your comparison appears to be that Utah is 95% restrictive whereas other places are 5% restrictive.
Nobody is saying that anywhere should be 100% unrestricted in terms of booze sales, but your comparisons are silly.
Blue laws are typically looser than Utah’s laws, but are no less practical. Forcing Christian morality is the same as LDS morality.
Separate church and state!
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