Many Utahns think new liquor law is a positive step

By Robert Sutherland

October 20, 2008 | The Utah Senate passed a new liquor bill February that will require "alco-pops" to be sold only in state liquor stores. Alco-pops include flavored beverages such as malt beverages that have fruit juices and flavorings along with the alcohol. The catch is it will also increase the size of a shot in drinks served in bars and restaurants, as in changing the size of a shot from one ounce to one and a half ounces.

When Gov. Jon Huntsman took office in 2004 he said he would like to see Utah's liquor laws normalized. Loosening the state's infamous laws on liquor has been a constant battle within the state, especially with the Mormon religion. Mormons make up about 58 percent of the people in the state, but about 90 percent of Legislature is of the Mormon religion. The Mormon religion prohibits the intake of alcoholic beverages as well as any beverage that contains caffeine.

The Mormon church released a statement in January that said, "to allow the sale of distilled spirits in grocery and convenience stores promotes underage drinking and undermines the state system of alcohol control."

Danielle Taylor, a practicing Mormon of Utah County, said she thinks this is a good idea because kids can rationalize drinking when it tastes like a fruit drink.

"Kids don't realized how much alcohol is in a drink like that. It is one thing to drink a shot of pure alcohol and another thing to drink a drink that tastes like a fruit soda," Taylor said.

Kaylyn Misrasi, a 20-year veteran worker at Albertson's in Logan, said she is glad the law passed and thinks it will actually help business at grocery stores.

Misrasi said, "Our biggest problem is with the underage drinkers that steal alco-pops from our store. Our system is not fail proof and the kids have become creative. It will be safer to keep alcoholic beverages in liquor stores."

Other conservative members of the Utah community feel the same way, but there are also people who disagree. James Brindley, a Utah State Aggie football player, said grocery stores should be more strict when checking IDs.

Brindley said, "I think the grocery stores should crack down on checking IDs if there is an underage drinking problem. I don't know how much this new law will actually help keep kids from drinking. If kids want to drink, they will find a way to, even if they have to go to the liquor store instead of the grocery store."

Vicki Smith, a long-time resident of St. George, said she thinks this law will help children in the area.

Smith said, "I don't think that we as a state can sit back and watch as our children make horrible decisions that will effect their lives forever. We can do something about this and right now that is taking any kind of alcohol off the shelves of our grocery stores and putting it where it belongs, in the state liquor stores."

Even with all of the debate regarding alcohol sales and the increased size of a shot, the compromise seems to make the majority of citizens happy. Paul Creech, a bartender at the White Owl bar in Logan, Utah, said he thinks it's an even trade off.

Creech said, "I'm glad our government is at least trying to make everyone happy in this situation. Alcohol has always been a sore subject in this state and I think if we become more normal it will help tourism and our economy."

Utah takes the bad rap but there are other states with equally as abnormal laws. Pennsylvania doesn't allow any alcohol to be sold in grocery or convience stores and you can only buy hard alcohol at state run liquor stores. Utah's laws regarding alcohol aren't of the norm, but they aren't unheard of either.

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