SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah lawmakers on Thursday approved the most sweeping changes to the state’s liquor laws in 40 years in an effort to boost tourism and make the state appear a little less odd.The Legislature eliminated the state’s private club system, which requires customers to fill out an application and pay a fee for the right to enter a bar. Bartenders in restaurants also will be allowed to serve cocktails directly over bar counters instead of walking around them.
Utah is the only state in the country with either law. Gov. Jon Huntsman has said he’ll sign the bill into law, and once that happens, bars can open their doors to the public on July 1.
In exchange for loosening the liquor laws, the state’s DUI laws will become more strict. People who appear younger than 35 will have their driver’s licenses scanned before entering a bar to make sure they’re 21 or older and their ID is real.
Information obtained through the scan will be kept at bars for seven days and law enforcement can inspect it in the event of a DUI or accident.
The Utah Hospitality Association, which represents the state’s bar industry, reluctantly agreed to the use of the ID scanners, which will cost bars about $800. The association had been prepared to take the measure to a vote through an initiative if lawmakers didn’t come to an agreement.
via Utah lawmakers pass sweeping liquor law changes – USATODAY.com.
Boost tourism so the state can make more money by eliminating illogical and ineffective laws restricting the rights of adults to consume an intoxicant, while increasing the penalties for abuse of that intoxicant leading to harm of others. What a fantastic idea! Recognize that most people who enjoy that intoxicant do so responsibly and to institute onerous regulation on that substance based not on rational understanding and study of the use of that substance, but on religious belief and cultural mores, leads to lost economic opportunity and no less use of the substance or problems related to it. Brilliant!
(Brilliantly logical idea applies only to addictive toxic dangerous liquid drugs. Safer euphoria-producing plants need not apply.)
The issue with Utah is that the elected officials are out of touch with the population. The demographics are changing, but not the people in charge. Salt Lake (where I was raised) is about 40% Mormon and actually has a democratic majority. But most the politicians are still Mormon, and most the laws were set when there was a Mormon majority.
So much of Utahs culture is kept underground because people feel like they are part of some helpless minority, which just isnt true. If all those people could be tapped, we would see more of this change.
Time for everyone to stand up and step out of the closet! If alcohol laws can be liberalized, we can do it with marijuana too!
Here’s the weird part. As you may know, I’ve been pushing HARD for “federalism” as a solution to adult marijuana prohibition. (Federalism = 50 different laws for 50 different states.)
I always used Utah as an example of a state that would tighten or at least not loosen its MJ laws. And that would be okay, so long as people who preferred something more liberal could move to Colorado or New Jersey or whatever…
But now we learn the truth.
Laws are “sticky.” An irrational law can hang around for a long time, like some sort of terrible disease.
But, given the right conditions, most places will come around. Even Utah. Praise the Lord!
“Information obtained through the scan will be kept at bars for seven days and law enforcement can inspect it in the event of a DUI or accident.”
Really? So now that I’ve got Big Brother watching me at work, in stores, at the mall and on the streets, “HE” will now know when I head for the bar at the end of the day as well. Nice!
You know they should put those scanners on the doors leading to the bathroom in the bars too. That way, the bartender can see how much urine I have passed, check my alcohol level and determine if he could, or should, market more Coors to me! While were at it, lets have the cops come on in on a regular basis and check the records to see how often DG imbibes (oh sure…I know…its only for DUI and accident purposes only!) Then we could target him on his way home Tuesday night when he usually stops at the bar. But wait! Tonight he didn’t stop at the bar! But the cops don’t know that! Which is weird, because cops are always so thorough. DG will get hauled in for blood tests anyway because of some trumped up excuse. Oh oh! The lab techs (and cops) discover the byproducts of our favorite herb. BAM!! BUSTED! Don’t think it will ever happen? Watch!
Kudos to Utah for getting rid of this bizarre booze purchasing plan. But really. Come on. Databases of imbibers? Thanks, but no thanks Utah. Sounds like Cali will soon be a better place to vacation anyway!
Big Brother….. Stay out of my bed, my pee, my money and my life!
DG