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With recreational cannabis now legal in Illinois, it’s probably easier to enjoy pot in sister-state Indiana than to buy cold beer anywhere but a liquor store.
And some Indiana legislators want to finally change that…
It is kind of amazing that one hundred years after the prohibition of alcohol sales in the US, you still can’t buy a cold beer at grocery and convenience stores in Indiana. But that could change with what is being called the “cold beer bil” which has already been filed in the Senate.
This description of the bill from the Senate website…
“Repeals provisions that prohibit a grocery store (including a convenience store) or a drug store from selling and delivering cold beer for carryout. (Currently, only a package liquor store or restaurant with carryout privileges may sell and deliver cold beer for carryout.) Removes references to the temperature of beer.”
So why has an archaic law prohibiting cold beer sales in Indiana grocery and convenience stores, stayed in place so long? That’s easy.
As things stand now, liquor stores have a state-sanctioned monopoly on the sales of cold beer. Its exclusivity draws customers who might never visit those retail outlets, should beer become available at the local grocery store.
And the liquor store owners know that. That’s why there are liquor store lobbyist who fund politicians that promise to keep monopolies like this in place.
Rep. Justin Moed, D-Indianapolis, ranking minority member of the House Public Policy Committee, told the Indy Star that “the legislative process often is about relationships. Some people have access, probably unfairly.”
But eventually there’s a tipping point, and Hoosiers are pissed that they can’t get a cold one at the local 7-Eleven like the rest of the nation…
Indiana Grocery and Convenience Store Assoc. Pres. Joe Lackey told WIBC that the current law was insane… “People move here, come here on vacation up to the lakes up north and they go, what do you mean you can’t sell cold beer?
And adding to the madness, Lackey added that he believes Indiana may pass some form of marijuana legalization before it allows cold beer sales at grocery and convenience stores.
Unfortunately the current Senate bill is far from a done deal. The last cold beer bill failed in January 2018 and this one could too.
So it’s a question of whether the state’s politicians are more beholden to the people who voted them into office or to the powerful interests behind the scenes who donate big money to their campaigns.
