Indiana lawmakers recently announced that they plan to study the state’s outdated alcohol laws this summer with an eye toward reforming them for the 21st century. While this is an encouraging sign, the road that led to this legislative soul-searching involved a missed opportunity to reform the state’s infamous “cold beer law” and underscored the cronyist forces Indiana reformers are up against.
Although nearly every state has outdated and arcane alcohol laws, Indiana’s cold beer law stands out as one of the most bizarre. In its present form, state law allows only liquor stores and restaurants to sell carryout beer that is either “iced or cooled.” Gas stations and corner convenience stores are relegated to selling room temperature brews. Like many antiquated state alcohol laws, this rule grew out of the aftermath of Prohibition. After the 21st Amendment repealed Prohibition, Indiana passed the 1935 Liquor Control Act, establishing various types of retail licenses for alcohol. These classifications evolved over time to create a distinction between retailers who could sell cold beer and those who could not.
No comments:
Post a Comment