Do you have absolutely asinine Blue Laws in your state?

[JDFP]

As far as I know, just about every state has infamous 'Blue Laws' prohibiting when/where/how you can go about purchasing alcohol (both liquor and beer in most states). Depending upon your state depends upon the severity of the 'Blue Laws' that you have. Some of these I can understand, but others are just absolutely asinine and some of these are just downright dangerous to the common sense of people.

Case in point, when I lived in Georgia they had a law where you could not buy beer and/or liquor on Sundays unless it was at a restuarant/bar that also served food. In other words, on a Sunday you cannot go into your local Krogers/grocer and buy a case of regular ol' beer to take home and drink. But, it's perfectly fine to go to a restaurant/bar and drink to your contentment and then DRIVE back home. Fantastic, Georgia, really, bravo, let's encourage people to drive drunk by refusing them the right to purchase beer to take home with them. I can understand not wanting to have liquor stores open on Sunday (a great number of states force liquor stores to be closed on Sundays) but to refuse someone the ability to buy beer at a grocery store on Sundays is just insane and downright dangerous in truly encouraging people to go get soussed and have to drive back home. Georgia also had a law prohibiting people from buying alcohol after midnight each night as well (this one I can somewhat understand).

Luckily, I am living in Tennessee now instead of Georgia and here in the homeplace of Jack D. The laws here are not as asinine or dangerous to the safety and welfare of people. Unlike Georgia, liquor and wine are only available in liquor stores -- you can't walk into a grocery store and buy a bottle of wine here like you could in Georgia. I don't mind that though as I never drink the swill (only grade-A American piss beer for me, thank you kindly) but every grocery store carries beer. The liquor stores here are closed on Sundays but stay open until 10PM Mon-Sat and there's one on the corner from me. You can buy beer until 4 in the morning here and any day of the week you want to (Tennessee doesn't want people to go get DUI's and be a danger to the public on Sundays).

Anyway, what's the Blue Laws like in your state or do you have similar laws/legislation in your country for non-Americans here?

j.p.

[Danny]

(only grade-A American piss beer for me, thank you kindly)

Stuff like Coors which is brewed 20 minutes down the road from me?:sneaky:

[JDFP]

Stuff like Coors which is brewed 20 minutes down the road from me?:sneaky:

I've always been a fan of the triumvirate of American piss-beers for me. Budweiser (none of that pansy 'light' stuff), Pabst Blue Ribbon, and The Beast (Milwaukee's Best for the great unwashed). If I have some extra cash (which I generally don't) I love a good Boddington's when I can and always Guinness for special occasions. I'm generally content with the cheap stuff though as it gets me where I'm going just fine.

The only beer I refuse to drink is Natty Light (Natural Light). That disgusting filth makes Milwaukee's Best taste like Guinness stout in comparison. As much as I love beer as being a professional beer drinker (also known as drunk) -- I still have some standards and refuse to touch Natty.

j.p.

[BillyRay]

Stuff like Coors which is brewed 20 minutes down the road from me?:sneaky:

Or Miller, 20 minutes down the road from my own house.

I had to look up Blue Laws in my city & state (Milwaukee, Wisconsin). Since we're not a Bible Belt state, we only have had garden-variety outdated/unenforced Dumb Laws. (Take with several grains of salt, I got most of these off the Intertubes):

* An old ordinance forbids parking for over two hours unless a horse is tied to the car.

* It is against the law to play a flute and drums on the streets to attract attention

* If one is thought of as offensive looking, it is illegal for him to be in public during the day.


Here's some ones that I know are true:

* Margarine used to be illegal here.

* It is illegal to purchase or use Sparklers in the city, yet you can buy fully disassembled automatic machine guns.


At least I can buy beer on Sundays. I think it's in the State Charter! :D

[SRP76]

People cry too much about these things.

Can't buy beer on Sunday? How about just loading up when you go grocery shopping on Saturday? It's not hard to figure out. Took about 2 seconds to find a solution.

[Terran]

Can't buy beer on Sunday? How about just loading up when you go grocery shopping on Saturday?

Yeah but say you spent all night Saturday drinking.
Then, woke up Sunday morning and started drinking but then you realized you didn't have enough alcohol to last the night...
Since you cant walk up the street to buy more you have to find some way to make it across state lines to buy more. Then ...:dead:
:D

There are many rational arguments to get rid of these laws... Ill hold off though

[AcesandEights]

Statewide in New York, I'm not aware of too many blue laws, though I'm sure there's several local laws here and there that are anachronisms (there always are, right?). I know that down South there's a good number (though you guys can sometimes buy beer at the drive thru!) and in New England there's still a good number.

Here's the list for NY state that I had to look up:


Alcohol sales for consumption off-premises are not permitted between 3 AM and 8 AM on Sundays, while on-premises sales are not permitted between 4 AM and 8 AM on any day. Liquor stores are also required to close one day per week, on a day of the store's choosing. Prior to 2006, off-premises alcohol sales were forbidden until noon on Sundays, and liquor/wine stores were required to be closed the entire day. Because grocery stores are not permitted to carry wine or liquor, the older law essentially meant that only beer and alcoholic malt beverages could be purchased at all on Sundays.

Relatively few parts of New York actually permit alcohol sales at all times permissible under state law; most counties have more restrictive blue laws of their own.

[Exatreides]

in Indiana you can not buy booze at all, unless its in a restaurant. Liquor stores are open till normally midnight.

However grocery stores can continue to sell beer and hard stuff till 3 AM

[Mike70]

you can't buy booze on sunday in ohio at all and all alcohol sales are restricted until like after 12pm or something like that.

then again, if you are needing to buy a pint of hooch at 8am on a sunday morning, you might have some larger problems to consider.

[krakenslayer]

Here in Glasgow, the standard range of opening hours for bars is between 11AM and 12 midnight or 12.30PM to 12 midnight on a Sunday (or until 1AM if over 75% of the floor-plan is intended for food consumption as well as alcohol).

Nightclubs, which only open at night, may stay open until 3AM if they are in the "city centre", or 2AM if they are outwith that area.

In any case, operators may apply for an exception if they want to open outwith those times, but this is only usually granted in exceptional circumstances.
Off-sales (i.e. premises licensed to sell alcohol for off-site consumption) may only sell alcohol between 10AM and 10PM, unless the licensing board have reason to believe the property has a history of being the focus for anti-social behaviour, in which case the hours can be further restricted.


I didn't know that all offhand, by the way; I had to look it up :D

[bassman]

How about just loading up when you go grocery shopping on Saturday?

As a resident of Georgia, this is exactly what I do.

If you can't get it on Sunday....prepare for Sunday. Works for me every time.

[darth los]

There are many rational arguments to get rid of these laws... Ill hold off though

Yeah, like I'm a grown man and will decide for myself when and where topurchase alcohol.

:cool:

[MikePizzoff]

I looked up the laws around here a few years back. From what I remember, liquor stores and bars are legally allowed to be open from 7am until 4am, here. HOWEVER, just about everywhere doesn't open until 10am and closes at 10pm. And most places, on Sundays, close at 8pm. Aggravating that they have such hours when it's legal to be open way beyond that!

[krakenslayer]

I looked up the laws around here a few years back. From what I remember, liquor stores and bars are legally allowed to be open from 7am until 4am, here. HOWEVER, just about everywhere doesn't open until 10am and closes at 10pm. And most places, on Sundays, close at 8pm. Aggravating that they have such hours when it's legal to be open way beyond that!

7AM and 4AM will probably be the set-in-stone legal earliest and latest, with the town planning authority (or licensing board, or mayor, or whoever deals with alcohol sales licenses in your area) tending to issue licenses with more restrictive hours than the maximum.

In other words, 7-4 are probably the earliest and latest hours the licensing board is allowed to authorise, but it will only very rarely go as far as that.

Maybe it's totally different over there though.

[Publius]

In California, most supermarkets and many drug stores (Rite-Aid, CVS, Walgreen's, etc.) carried a full selection of beer, wine, and liquor. Here in Virginia, supermarkets and drug stores are only allowed to sell beer and wine. Liquor is only available from state-owned liquor stores. I haven't been able to find 151-proof rum even in the state stores, though I think it's legal.

[acealive1]

people say "oh just buy it other days than sunday" the point is being able to buy it WHENEVER YOU WANT.


when i moved here, u couldnt buy shit on sundays. and they'd even move the clocks ahead like 25 minutes at stores sunday night. now they changed it because well see ohio is greedy and they figured out no sales on sunday equals no money



in pennsylvania, u have to go to special stores to buy any liquor

[Terran]

I have always been irritated that I cant buy Everclear in VA....

[Publius]

I have always been irritated that I cant buy Everclear in VA....

You in VA? What part? I moved here to the DC metro area last September.

[Terran]

Lol then we are far to close to each other...
15 minute drive for me to get to DC

[EvilNed]

This is how it works in Sweden, and it's a bit tricky to stay with me (this is going to seem very socialistic to some of you):

- Normal grocery stores cannot hold any alcohol/liquor that's above 3,5% alcohol. Opening times of Grocery stores are not controlled.

- Instead, beer, wine and spirits are sold by a government run chain of stores called Systembolaget. (System = System / Bolaget = The Company. Quite literally, Company of the System)

These stores are pretty much found everywhere, and every town as at least one, and if a town is small enough they can have a designated grocery store that works as a intermediate between the System (Yes, that's what we call it for short: "Systemet" = The System) and the customer. That means that if I live in a small community and wish to buy liquor, but don't want to go into town, I can go to the designated grocery store in the small community and order alcohol. This alcohol will then arrive on the next day for me to pick up.

- You might wonder why this system is in place, and why anyone would put up with it? Well, the answers might not be so obvious, but they are there. There are a few things you need to understand:

- The "System" has become a deeply integrated part of Swedish culture, and getting ahold of booze is really no problem at all UNLESS it's on a Sunday, in which case you'll have to settle for the 3,5% beers the grocery stores sell. The Systems are ALWAYS closed on Sundays. It is also impossible to procure booze/alcohol from the System if you are below 20 years of age, in which case you're simply denied. The age limit for buying alcohol at the System is simply 20 years. So buying beers to get home prior to 20 years of age is impossible, unless you get friends/parents to do it for you (quite a common occurance, I can assure you. Even the parents part, believe it or not).

- However, going to bars and nightclubs is allowed from 18 years of age. Remember, Sweden is a country when sex becomes legal from 15 years of age. Most people in Sweden loose their virginity in the 14-17 range. And likewise, drinking out is kinda encouraged and boy do swedes like to drink. And fuck around. Sweden has one of the higher rates of Singles compared to most other countries. One night stands are very common. Again, very integrated into Swedish culture.

Nightclubs and bars, however, have to follow Commune laws. A Commune, in Sweden (apart from sounding very communistic) is basicly a Swedish county. Sweden has 290 communes, most of them associated with cities. Communes have different specific laws attached to them, much like states. Some communes allow for alcohol to be served all hours of the day, some have stricted rules.

Right now, a law is in consideration for basicly all alcohol consumption in the country to follow a specific set of laws and begone with the rest. The goal of the law is to make the serving of alcohol generally easier for restaurants and pubs. You see, right now, alcohol can only be served at a pub if hot food can also be served. This makes it difficult for Sushi restaurants to serve beer, for instance, which is why that law is probably going to be gone in 5 years. "The System" might actually be gone in 10-20 years, as well.

[zombie04]

I'm living in the DC area now, but where I come from (North Carolina) you can buy beer in grocery stores any time except for Sundays where you cannot buy it before noon. As for liquor it's only available at ABC stores Monday through Saturday with no sales Sunday. Honestly I'm a fan of this because as a rare social drinker it is never an inconvenience for me.

[acealive1]

I have always been irritated that I cant buy Everclear in VA....



they sell it in indiana which is only about 2 hours east of me. it's very dangerous though

[Terran]

they sell it in indiana which is only about 2 hours east of me. it's very dangerous though

Really?...I thought pregnant women and children were allowed to drink it.


:lol:

[acealive1]

Really?...I thought pregnant women and children were allowed to drink it.


:lol:



:lol:



i've heard theres some embalming agents in it which is why they banned it

[Terran]

Nah....As far as I know Its illegal in some places just because its so strong in alcohol....


Everclear is a brand of neutral grain spirit that is available at concentrations of 75.5% alcohol (151 proof) and 95% alcohol (190 proof)
I prefer the 190 proof variety.

Since 95.6% ethanol and 4.4% water form an azeotrope (meaning that simple distillation cannot remove any of the remaining water), 190-proof spirits are the maximum proof that is available from the distilled beverage industry.

The only reason given for its legal status is its high alcohol content.


It is illegal to sell the 190-proof variety in some states of the United States, namely California, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

Everclear 190 is legally sold in Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming, and in some military stores within the continental United States.

The 151-proof variety is legally sold in California, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, North Dakota, Washington, West Virginia, and some other states.

[Eyebiter]

A few US States also use blue laws to ban the sale of booze on election day. In the old days crooked politicians would trade a vote for a beer.

[Publius]

Lol then we are far to close to each other...
15 minute drive for me to get to DC


I'm living in the DC area now

Sweet! We have the beginnings of our own little HPotDcon! ;)

[Terran]

It is funny how people in NOrthern VA typically do not say "I am from Virgina"....It always seems to be "Im from the DC area" or "I am from Northern VA" or "The Metropolitan Area of VA" maybe "Within the Beltway"....

Lol we must really hate southern VA....Take that Richmond! *shakes fist*

...while I have a special hatred for Farmville Virginia....

[JDFP]

...while I have a special hatred for Farmville Virginia....

Not a Hampden-Sydney fan are you? I actually came very close to going there for college... fantastic school.

j.p.

[Terran]

Not a Hampden-Sydney fan are you? I actually came very close to going there for college... fantastic school.

j.p.

I went to Longwood University (Farmville VA) for one year in 2000.....I hated it so much....

The highlight of my year there was when "half" the school burnt to the ground.....


On April 24, 2001 a main university building, Ruffner Hall, caught on fire and burned down despite the efforts of multiple local fire departments including the Farmville fire department.

My Dorm was in there...and all my stuff got ruined from water damage....it was awsome...we missed finals got out two weeks early and everything..


When the gas line blew and part of the roof exploded and sent ash everywhere I exclaimed "This is AWSOME!" then this girl turns around with tears in her eyes and cried "yeah this is real awsome.".

My sister went there too...but she loved it.

[MikePizzoff]

When the gas line blew and part of the roof exploded and sent ash everywhere I exclaimed "This is AWSOME!" then this girl turns around with tears in her eyes and cried "yeah this is real awsome.".


:lol: Shoulda said "Go back to trigonomics, NERD!"

[rongravy]

I live in Arkansas. We still have dry counties. One guy here used to own all the liquor stores in the area, and along with all the biblethumpers, he did his best to keep anyone else from opening anything up in competition. Now, we have a few other businesses and they sell at a few gas stations. Nothing on Sunday, unless you wanna hit a Buffalo Wild Wings...

[AcesandEights]

unless you wanna hit a Buffalo Wild Wings...

They refuse to cook a burger anything under medium. No medium rares burgers, no patronage from moi ;)

Sorry for the aside.

[acealive1]

They refuse to cook a burger anything under medium. No medium rares burgers, no patronage from moi ;)

Sorry for the aside.



"covering their own ass"

[bassman]

They don't deny you the undercooked meat around here, but they slap warnings all over menus like they're radioactive. WARNING: UNDERCOOKED MEAT CAN BE DANGEROUS TO YOUR HEALTH!!!! Am I the only one thinking....who doesn't know this?!? Then again, I know they're just covering their asses from the sue-happy rednecks looking for free living.