Will You Soon Be Able To Buy Booze at Grocery Stores in Minnesota?
It was just last year state lawmakers (finally!) approved making Sunday liquor sales legal in Minnesota, but are they now looking at expanding WHERE you can buy booze?
They are.. and it's all in a proposal from St. Mary's Point Senator Karin Housley. (BTW, have you ever heard of St. Mary's Point?!? I hadn't-- it turns out it's located along the St. Croix River, south of I-94, just north of Afton. Who knew?!?)
Anyway, according to this KTTC story, her proposal would "modernize Minnesota liquor laws" even more and allow us here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes to buy beer, wine and "certain spirits" in grocery stores, convenience and corner stores.
Do to that though, it would get rid of Minnesota's law that only allows grocery stores to sell '3-2 beer'-- beer that's only 3.2% alcohol or less. The story noted our state and Utah are the only two states that still have that law on the books!
Being from Wisconsin, where state law is already similar to this proposal, I'd support those changes. It's a lot more convenient (though, certainly a first world problem, right?!?) to be able to buy any beer or liquor you might want right there at the grocery or convenience store.
Opponents, though, are worried "small businesses won't be able to compete against larger chains and grocers," the story noted. Of course, they said the same thing when they were opposed to legalizing Sunday liquor sales here too-- and that apparently hasn't happened.
Either way, though, it's probably a moot point-- because the story says the Legislature, which adjourns for the year on Monday, has too many other major issues to sort out and probably won't even hear this bill this year. Which means it'll have to wait until next year's session-- if it happens at all.
Listen to Curt St. John from 6 to 10 a.m. on Quick Country 96.5
and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on 103.9 The Doc