Two bills make it harder to buy liquor

By Howard Fischer

Published: 02.21.2004
CAPITOL MEDIA SERVICES

PHOENIX - State lawmakers are weighing two measures designed to make the purchase of beer, wine and liquor a little less convenient.

Rep. Linda Lopez, D-Tucson, wants to outlaw drive-through windows at stores that sell alcoholic beverages.

Lopez said the issue goes beyond reducing the number of drunken drivers. The windows add to neighborhood blight, she said.

Rep. Karen Johnson, R-Mesa, is sponsoring more sweeping legislation to make it a crime to sell cold beer or wine. That would make a quick trip to the corner for a cold six-pack a thing of the past.

The Arizona Licensed Beverage Association is fighting the proposals. Lobbyist Don Isaacson said he doubts either plan would do anything to keep people from drinking and driving.

He said there is no statistical evidence suggesting those who drink and drive are more likely to have gotten their beverages from a drive-through window.

He said the change Lopez wants would just make life less convenient for those who have a hard time getting in and out of a vehicle. That ranges from the elderly and the disabled to a single woman in a car at night, he said.

Lopez isn't convinced.

"I guess if they're driving they're able to get in and out of that car," she said. "And if alcohol is that important a part of their life, they'll find a way."

A related issue is that state law precludes the sale of alcoholic beverages to anyone who is intoxicated, which might be harder to ascertain if the buyer never has to walk into the store.

Isaacson said Johnson's proposal won't deter drunken driving, either. "Making beer warm isn't going to do it," he said.