Mormon church weighs in on 'alco-pop' sales issue

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) The Mormon church said Thursday it endorses the

idea of moving sweet malt beverages known as ``alco-pops'' out of Utah

retail stores and onto the shelves of state-run liquor shops. The drinks, which have a 3.2 percent alcohol content, are popular with underage drinkers and are sold in stores all over Utah. ``To

allow the sale of distilled spirits in grocery and convenience stores

promotes underage drinking and undermines the state system of alcohol

control,'' said Kim Farah, a spokeswoman for The Church of Jesus Christ

of Latter-day Saints, Utah's leading religion. Attorney

General Mark Shurtleff believes the state should make it tougher for

teens to get the drinks. The legal drinking age is 21. Utah's

Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission has asked the Legislature to

address the issue. Commission spokeswoman Sharon Mackay said the

decision was partly driven by a need to define flavored malt drinks in

state law. Mackay said the commission has not been contacted by the Mormon church. The

commission has prepared a draft bill that would define the drinks as

liquor, but no legislation has been formally introduced. Lawmakers

start their annual session Monday. ``The church agrees with

the position of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission and the

attorney general that the sale of distilled spirits, including

so-called alcopops, should be restricted to state liquor stores,''

Farah said, reading from a statement. With that statement,

``there's no doubt that the battle just got tougher,'' James Olsen,

president of the Utah Food Industry Association, told The Salt Lake

Tribune. The group represents more than 8,000 stores that sell flavored malt beverages. Mormons

are told to abstain from alcohol, but the church said it supports the

state's philosophy that alcohol should be ``reasonably available'' to

responsible adults.