The Indiana State Excise Police released results of its comprehensive two-year Survey for Alcohol Compliance, where minors accompanied officers into alcoholic beverage establishments in an attempt to purchase alcoholic beverages.
While drug stores [image-nocss] had a noncompliance rate of 21% and grocery stores had a noncompliance rate of 26%, liquor stores had a noncompliance rate of 40%. "We have said from the beginning that it is very hard to justify Indiana's outdated law allowing liquor stores the exclusive right to sell cold beer and this comprehensive study provides empirical evidence to support our position," said Grant Monahan of the Indiana Retail Council and the Alliance of Responsible of Alcohol Retailers. "Policymakers have to be asked: Why is it that the one retail group that is the most likely to sell to minors has the exclusive right to sell cold beer?"
He added, "Throughout the course of this debate, the liquor store industry has consistently said that only they could safely and responsibly sell cold beer. This study debunks this myth once and for all. It is shocking that in this study almost one out of every two minors entering a liquor store could purchase alcohol."
Despite the fact that drug, grocery and c-stores ranked among the best among alcoholic beverage establishments when it came to stopping sales to minors, Monahan said that his group is not satisfied. "Let me be perfectly clear, one sale to a minor is one too many. Our members will continue to intensify our employee training programs to drive down our noncompliance rate even further."
Monahan also said that the study confirmed what his group has found by analyzing records at the state's Alcohol & Tobacco Commission that show liquor stores account for significantly more violations for selling to minors than drug, grocery or c-stores. Since 2005, liquor stores received 74% of retail violations when it came to selling to minors.
"In recent months, we have raised concerns that the hidden 'cold beer tax' where liquor stores routinely add a surcharge to the price of cold beer is costing Hoosiers millions of dollars annually. Now, however, it is clear that allowing liquor stores to have a monopoly over cold beer sales is much more than an economic issue, it is a serious public safety issue as well," Monahan said.
Indiana is the only state in the country that discriminates against drug, grocery and c-store customers by allowing only one class of retailersliquor storesthe right to sell cold beer, Hoosiers for Beverage Choices said. Indiana is one of only 15 states that still prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages on Sunday and is one of only three states that prohibits Sunday carryout sales yet allows for sales at restaurants, taverns and sporting events, it added.
Last week, Hoosiers for Beverage Choices announced a renewed campaign at statewide retail locations to enlist customer support to change Indiana's antiquated liquor laws by allowing Sunday carry-out sales and giving all licensed retailers the right to sell cold beer. Since its inception last August, more than 25,000 Hoosiers have already signed the online petition at www.beveragechoices.com, the group said.
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