Liquor Law Stupidity

[Anonymous]

Alberta like many ther jurisdictions on this continent have antiquated laws pertaining to the sale and use of alcoholic beverages. Let adults decide for themselves when and where they can enjoy a cocktail.

Every time I leave a liquor store with a bottle of alcohol under my arm, I end up giggling under my breath.



Not because I've pre-emptively liquored up in anticipation of buying more booze but because of the silliness that comes after exchanging my hard-earned money for a bottle of hard liquor or whatever else.



More often than not, said bottle is wrapped in a plain paper bag.



It's not as if what I'm carrying isn't immediately obvious to whoever's looking.



"I'm totally safe to drink from this bottle in public because no one can see it's alcohol," said no one in North America, ever.



The paper bag is an apt metaphor to describe the state's farcical insistence on telling us how we can buy and consume alcohol.



Our liquor laws, much like the paper bag, are just plain silly.



We got a wonderful demonstration of this on the weekend.



Alberta bar owners were given a temporary holiday from liquor laws Sunday for the gold medal men's Olympic hockey game, televised live at an ungodly hour.



A server at my neighbourhood watering hole said the place was booked solid for the occasion within hours of the province's reprieve, an anecdote that held true in many other locales.



Maybe it was the time, maybe it was the Arctic weather, maybe it was the fact our boys won gold ... but guess what, our world didn't descend into disorder because we could have a pint at a pub on a Sunday morning.



The point is you could choose to go to a pub for a side of beer with your hockey. (Or was that a side of hockey with your beer?) I'm sure many of you were quite happy to watch the game at home, maybe even alcohol-free.



One only has to look at other freedom-loving jurisdictions near and far to see successful, chaos-free, hands-off government policies when it comes to alcohol.



Some provinces allow beer, wine and spirits to be sold in grocery and corner stores.



Some European and Commonwealth countries are fairly liberal about drinking alcohol in public, with one of the few caveats being that you have to put away your booze if requested by law enforcement.



By Monday morning, it became clear some higher-ups in the Alberta government are looking to relax our liquor laws permanently. They should.



It is difficult to believe our current liquor regulations are keeping people safe, controlling public disorder, promoting health and discouraging irresponsible consumption.



If government wants to develop a program to help ease people out of alcohol addiction, then develop a program to help people ease out of alcohol addiction.



If government wants to do something about binge drinking in university, then do something about binge drinking in university.



If government wants to make more public-service announcements to discourage drinking and driving, then bring on the PSAs.



None of those problems are addressed by shutting taps and closing liquor stores at 2 a.m., instituting minimum drink prices, preventing liquor sales in grocery and convenience stores, prohibiting people from having a glass of vino at a picnic lunch or criminalizing the act of coming home from B.C. with a case of Okanagan wine

It's just legal bloat, rules left over from a different era and a different social context.



I look forward to the day when I can raise a glass to salute our government for ridding us of the last of our Prohibition-era drinking laws ... and ridding us of those silly paper bags, too.



http://www.calgarysun.com/2014/02/25/the-paper-bag-is-only-the-start-when-it-comes-to-albertas-liquor-silliness">http://www.calgarysun.com/2014/02/25/th ... -silliness">http://www.calgarysun.com/2014/02/25/the-paper-bag-is-only-the-start-when-it-comes-to-albertas-liquor-silliness

[Renee]

What's the matter Shen, you tired of drinking out of a paper bag?

[Odinson]

Dark house, empty bottle and the drunken weepy sour puss...

[Anonymous]

I would definitely like the right to walk into a Mac's store and buy beer at any time day or night.

[Anonymous]

What's the matter Shen, you tired of drinking out of a paper bag?

Drinking out of paper bags behind dumpsters....that's how the upper classes roll in Edmonton.

[Gary Oak]

What's the matter Shen, you tired of drinking out of a paper bag?

Drinking out of paper bags behind dumpsters....that's how the upper classes roll in Edmonton.

Dumpsters are where Shen Li fucks her chugaboo boyfriends.

[Anonymous]

It may not be a popular opinion, but I feel people have more than enough access to alcoholic beverages already.

[Anonymous]

It may not be a popular opinion, but I feel people have more than enough access to alcoholic beverages already.

That's not for you to decide what is "enough access" to booze. Adults can decide that for themselves.

[Odinson]

What's the matter Shen, you tired of drinking out of a paper bag?

Drinking out of paper bags behind dumpsters....that's how the upper classes roll in Edmonton.

Dumpsters are where Shen Li fucks her chugaboo boyfriends.

Public places are kinda hot and sometimes you dont have the patience so you must find a little cover and give in to the luuuuvvv.



I think one of my personal favourites was pinning this one girl against the wall and holding her up by the back of her knees while I did what comes natural.



Whats the point in having muscle if you cant own the more sexier gender... :D

[Anonymous]

Drinking out of paper bags behind dumpsters....that's how the upper classes roll in Edmonton.

Dumpsters are where Shen Li fucks her chugaboo boyfriends.

Public places are kinda hot and sometimes you dont have the patience so you must find a little cover and give in to the luuuuvvv.



I think one of my personal favourites was pinning this one girl against the wall and holding her up by the back of her knees while I did what comes natural.



Whats the point in having muscle if you cant own the more sexier gender... :D

Odi, why would you respond to that vulgar, trolling comment by Gary Oak?

[Odinson]

Dumpsters are where Shen Li fucks her chugaboo boyfriends.

Public places are kinda hot and sometimes you dont have the patience so you must find a little cover and give in to the luuuuvvv.



I think one of my personal favourites was pinning this one girl against the wall and holding her up by the back of her knees while I did what comes natural.



Whats the point in having muscle if you cant own the more sexier gender... :D

Odi, why would you respond to that vulgar, trolling comment by Gary Oak?

To negate it. lol

[Anonymous]

Another thing that is so stupid is in the summer when I play softball, we have to hide our beer. Grown men pouring beers out of cans and into coloured water bottles, to avoid getting ticketed by the police. Same with camping, provincial campgrounds are dry. As long as we are not bothering anyone we should be allowed to enjoy refreshments in the great outdoor without fear of persecution. It's like Iran where they have to drink out of sight of the authorities.

[Renee]

Another thing that is so stupid is in the summer when I play softball, we have to hide our beer. Grown men pouring beers out of cans and into coloured water bottles, to avoid getting ticketed by the police. Same with camping, provincial campgrounds are dry. As long as we are not bothering anyone we should be allowed to enjoy refreshments in the great outdoor without fear of persecution. It's like Iran where they have to drink out of sight of the authorities.

In Iran you can never drink out of sight because like all Muslim countries consuming alcohol is a religious prohibition. Even in the most liberal of religious interpretations you cannot do anything hdden away from the eyes of God. At least in places like Canada and the US you can petition for changes to the prohibitive legislation without fear of being jailed, stoned or executed.  

[Anonymous]

Another thing that is so stupid is in the summer when I play softball, we have to hide our beer. Grown men pouring beers out of cans and into coloured water bottles, to avoid getting ticketed by the police. Same with camping, provincial campgrounds are dry. As long as we are not bothering anyone we should be allowed to enjoy refreshments in the great outdoor without fear of persecution. It's like Iran where they have to drink out of sight of the authorities.

In Iran you can never drink out of sight because like all Muslim countries consuming alcohol is a religious prohibition. Even in the most liberal of religious interpretations you cannot do anything hdden away from the eyes of God. At least in places like Canada and the US you can petition for changes to the prohibitive legislation without fear of being jailed, stoned or executed.  

Yes, Iran is dry and has no homosexuals....just ask Ahemedinejad.  

[Renee]

Another thing that is so stupid is in the summer when I play softball, we have to hide our beer. Grown men pouring beers out of cans and into coloured water bottles, to avoid getting ticketed by the police. Same with camping, provincial campgrounds are dry. As long as we are not bothering anyone we should be allowed to enjoy refreshments in the great outdoor without fear of persecution. It's like Iran where they have to drink out of sight of the authorities.

In Iran you can never drink out of sight because like all Muslim countries consuming alcohol is a religious prohibition. Even in the most liberal of religious interpretations you cannot do anything hdden away from the eyes of God. At least in places like Canada and the US you can petition for changes to the prohibitive legislation without fear of being jailed, stoned or executed.  

Yes, Iran is dry and has no homosexuals....just ask Ahemedinejad.  

You sure? I thought Ahemedinejad was a homosexual.....he has to be; no living woman would fuck a many that ugly.