MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- As retailers fight for looser beer-sales laws in Indiana, Oklahoma, Minnesota and elsewhere, Alabama appears to be on its way to tightening its regulations.
A proposal presented to the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board this week would ban convenience stores in the state from using portable ice coolers to merchandise beer near the entrance or at the checkout, according to a report from AL.com.
State Rep. Merika Coleman-Evans and other advocates concerned about underage drinking told the board that the portable coolers put alcohol too easily within reach of teenagers and that banning the displays would help curtail drinking by minors.
"This is about availability," Coleman-Evans said. "We're trying to take away a means alcohol is available."
The board took no immediate action on the proposal.
Angene Coleman of the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Centers in Birmingham, who supports the ban, said teenagers tell her that stealing from the coolers is a cinch, according to the report. One teenager distracts the clerk while others grab beers, maybe stuffing them into book bags.
"Sometimes they're planning a party and that's how they get their alcohol," Coleman said.
The three-member ABC Board, which licenses stores that sell beer, could adopt a proposal to ban the displays. The proposed rule would be subject to a public comment period.
The board could then adopt a regulation, which would be submitted for review by a legislative oversight committee.
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