Liquor Will Be An Issue

Salt Lake Tribune, Forum, 11/30/98

Regarding the letter, "No Olympic Issue" (Forum, Nov. 15), James D. Smith doubted that alcohol will be an issue with visitors in 2002. I can assure you, Mr. Smith, that alcohol will be an issue. I have traveled to Europe five times this year, and three times to Norway, which you use as an example of a country having strict alcohol laws.

Consuming alcohol in Norway requires no special thinking, unlike the crazy rules found in Utah. All over Europe and Asia, I can easily order a beer or a mixed drink. There's no hassle. There's no membership requirement. There's no "you must have the intention of ordering food with that drink or I can't serve it to you." Or "you must finish that last gulp of beer before I put down the next one."

While it is true the Norwegian government tightly regulates liquor, it is nowhere near as strict as in Utah, as Mr. Smith writes. And its regulatory board actually drinks the stuff, unlike Utah's Alcoholic Beverage Control board. In fact, every country in the world restricts liquor to collect taxes on its importation. Utah is the same, regardless of what the religious authorities say.

Will Salt Lake have extra police on hand to enforce our liquor laws? What happens if a group of Norwegians is found drinking beer in the streets of Park City? Will they all be arrested? Maybe some Germans want to have their beer served along with a shot of schnapps. If the server refuses, and the group becomes agitated, will the police come to save the restaurant from possible chaos?

Why not lighten up the laws and move Utah into the 21st century? Responsible drinkers such as myself know alcohol's power. But continuing to regulate its use with arcane and absurd laws won't keep drunk drivers off the roads. It will only make our state live up to the reputation that it is still not ready to host a world event.

Alan Mark
Sandy