Reader comments
Liquor officials to consider changes to Utah restrictions

Nick | 7:11 a.m. Nov. 11, 2007

Yeah, that's just what we need--more idiotic restrictions on what can be sold in grocery stores. When is the liquor commission going to realize that inconveniencing those who choose to imbibe isn't going to stop them from drinking? All it does is ensure that Utah's image as a backwards, neo-Prohibitionist state controlled by the LDS church continues. If we want to attract businesses, residents, and events, the commission needs to accept that some of those people are going to want a drink, and they should be able to get it without having to jump through ridiculous hoops that don't actually do anything to benefit the public.

DustBowl | 8:50 a.m. Nov. 11, 2007

If the state wants to put "alchopops" in liquor stores, then there should be a compromise in which per bottle taxes are lowered. The fact that the price would almost double on a six pack at the liquor store is the concern more than the liquor store placement itself.

Utah Native | 10:49 a.m. Nov. 11, 2007

It is one of life's great mysteries as to why people of a certain religion, who are forbidden from consuming alcoholic beverages, set the rules for others, not of the same beliefs, who do choose to partake. It's somewhat akin to putting Atheists in charge of setting rules regarding religious freedom. These laws, more than any other, contribute the greatest to Utah's "Great Divide".

Comments continue below

rolandkayser | 11:34 a.m. Nov. 11, 2007

Here's the problem with Utah's liquor laws: Anyone who lives here and understands the laws can get all the alcohol they want. People who don't live here and don't understand the laws leave the state thinking we're nuts.

Tim | 12:07 p.m. Nov. 11, 2007

Your liquor laws are childish and absurd. No wonder outsiders consider Utah "strange" at best. Please treat adults as such. What's next - banning coffee and tea?

Utah's weird....but not as bad . | 2:03 p.m. Nov. 11, 2007

...as other states.

In Pennsylvania, if you want a beer, you have to go to a special "beer store" AND BUY A FULL CASE!
If you want a bottle of spirits or wine, you have to go to A DIFFERENT STORE (state controlled) to buy it. You can, of course, get the drink or beer in a restaurant...but they sure make beer-buying difficult!

In Texas and Oklahoma, the rules vary from county to county and there's also some very odd "private club" rules. Last week in Vernon Texas, the motel told us that if we wanted a drink at the restaurant next door, we had to have a (free) "card". Then, we'd pay the motel the next morning for our drinks which the restaurant would bill to them.

Utah just gets a bad rap because we're over-all stupid about adulthood ;)

Craig | 3:22 p.m. Nov. 11, 2007

I work at a grocery store by the mountains so I get all the visitors from other states and countries in my store and most of them do all their shopping for their vacation before they even go up to Snowbird. Problem is, their planes usually land after 10, meaning the liquor store is closed. This makes them have to come all the way back down the canyon just to go to the liquor store. I honestly don't see what any of these laws accomplish other than making me feel like an idiot for letting these customers down and making their decision between Colorado and Utah a lot easier next year.

Regular Mormon Guy | 3:40 p.m. Nov. 11, 2007

Those who support Utah's liquor laws can't point to any statistics that say the laws are achieving anything good. So junk them! They're just an inconvenience that makes visitors think Utah is weird. Not one single additional person would imbibe just because they can buy alcohol in the grocery store or have a drink in a restaurant--the decision to drink is much more basic than that.

Utah Alcohol Laws | 4:55 p.m. Nov. 11, 2007

Utah's alcohol laws need modernization. They might have been just fine for when Utah was a territory, but now SLC is the 45th largest metropolitan area in the United States and the liquor laws do not reflect the diverse nature of its capitol city.
Why the State Liquor Commission can wield power over liberal counties like SLC is beyond my understanding.
It is also a double standard that Mormons have the choice of free agency and temptation removed from them through these liquor laws, yet they preach free agency and ability to choose right or wrong on their own.
Wake up ye' Mormons, stop taking your vallium, Percoset and anti-depressants. lets go have a nice glass of Chardonney, or Merlot and talk about life.

AdjustableSpanner | 5:50 p.m. Nov. 11, 2007

I personally find it very amusing that Utah is not only next to Nevada, which serves more alcohol per capita than any other state, but also to Wyoming, one of a very small number of states with drive through bars.

Really guys, just put a moderate tax on all alcohol sales and let it be sold by private enterprise, not by a state monopoly! The state liquor stores do nothing other than insure that every imbibing Utahn returning from out of state brings back a good suply of moderately priced libations. And, keep bureaucrats employed - I auppose some think that's better than having them on welfare, since anyone who ran a private retail operation as poorly as the state liquor stores are run would soon be out of business.

Jerry | 9:03 p.m. Nov. 11, 2007

The liquor laws are just fine. We don't need people from outside states trying to change our ways. We have come this far, why change now.

As a side note, what exactly is wrong with also restricting caffeine products like tea and coffee? It is proven that these things cause a moral and physical decline.

To Jerry | 9:52 p.m. Nov. 11, 2007

By what do you mean people from outside states? Does that mean the Utah is it's own nation? What about the native Americans who were here first. Maybe you are the outsiders!!!! Maybe those that are complaining are Utah natives. Have you thought of that?
Jerry, you are deciding what is best for all based on your beliefs. While I don't disagree with most of your moral judgements, it isn't for you or I to decide how others should live. Since this is the United States, there is no "outsiders" unless Utah wants to become soverien and break from the United States. This is why many that live here that are not of the predominante faith feel as if they are not respected.

PamZer | 10:20 p.m. Nov. 11, 2007

...I thought it was already law that underage consumers are prohibited from within alcohol consuming/selling perimeters?
The commissioners can get plenty of public input on any issue by simply suppling an e-mail site to post to with issues published in the newspapers daily.
I personally believe we are better off without any public alcohol availability. It should be a private choice to consume on private property in a private manner with private purchases. The less drunk or under-any-debilitating influence in public the BETTER.
Utah legislator's and leaders should remain proud of Utah's moral standards in it's laws and as citizen's and patron's we should respect UTAH. No one is forced to live here or to trade here. I am not LDS or dry and I can suffice here just fine. Year in and year out.
Enough Said.

Jerry is an Idiot | 10:24 p.m. Nov. 11, 2007

Coffee and Tea cause moral and physical decline? LOL! The latest studies prove coffee is actually good for your health. Your moral decline comment is just plain moronic.

To Jerry x 2 | 10:43 p.m. Nov. 11, 2007

Excellent approach...the heck with "outsiders!" It's not like Utah's economy benefits from tourists...or does it?

Your comment supports the quintessential Utahn stereotype...close minded.

Andrew Murphy | 3:10 p.m. Nov. 12, 2007

Most states have some quirks in their liquor laws, in that Utah can take solace, but I believe that most people in Utah would accept that the laws should be updated to reflect the changes in the community. Rules addressing underage drinking and alcoholism need to be the focus of the liquor code, not sensitivities to these products that are difficult to avoid in modern society. The ï¿½Zion Curtinï¿½ is an example of a rule doing nothing to protect people, especially minors who are bombarded by stories and of underage celebrities consuming alcoholic beverages. Another example is the proposal to move flavored malt beverages to liquor stores as this does nothing to curb the demand for alcohol. We need the liquor commission to reinforce the demands that we as good parents make, that there is zero tolerance for underage people to consume alcohol. I would ask that the Utah liquor commission demand the legislature to aggressively go after those who sell, purchase or provide alcohol to minors with heavy fines and the suspension of their driverï¿½s license rather than deliberate the way in which drinks should be sold in a restaurant so as not offend some patrons.

Fax | 8:24 a.m. Nov. 24, 2007

Utah will never change the laws on this matter they make more money on the way the state is in charge of drinking than Idaho does its lottery. You can't gamble in Utah..even the good horse races moved to Wyo. Anyone old enough to remember Utah's brown bag days? The 70's you had to bring your own 5th to the private clubs and the club kept it behind the bar and mixed the drink and charged for setups..you then had to take the open 5th or pint etc home ..yes open container in your car..Utah was famous as the brown bag state.

I can't drink well..but making things so it is harder to get does NOT make people stop having drinking problems..its just more of a sneak drinking thing. Utah nanny state..or is that nazi..lol..too funny

Heinee | 11:31 a.m. Jan. 30, 2008

I don't care what anyone says. Alcohol in any form whether that be alchopops or any other beverage that has alcohol in it is a drug. Plain and simple. Ask yourself what good comes from drinking. Becoming alcoholic? Drunk driving incidents? Domestic problems? Are there any health benefits you can derive from drinking? All for what. Catching an occasional buzz. Forget it. I say outlaw alcohol in all its forms like we do with any other illegal drug thats out there. Just because drinking is legal doesn't make it right. It's plain ol wrong just like drugs. So I say we campaign for the illegal distribution and use of alcohol like we are doing for pot, meth and other forms of ADDICTING drugs. You can ask a very dear friend of mine who just got out of intensive care for going on a binge how great drinking is.

Richard | 7:14 p.m. June 10, 2008

That's exactly the problem Heinee, when people like you say."Just because drinking is legal dosen't make it right." how would you feel if I forced my beliefs upon you. And who gave anyone the right to dictate right and wrong for anyone else. If i said drinking is right, and then I forced you to take a drink, I think you would see things more my way.It would be wrong for me to do this just as it is wrong for you to do the opposite to me.

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