3.2 Beer Stays in Kansas Groceries

A Kansas Senate committee recently squelched a bill designed to permit grocery stores to sell full strength beer. For years, grocers have been limited to the sale of 3.2 beer, a story that has roots going back to Prohibition. When the grocers ask for the law to be changed, liquor store owners and their lobbyists go to work to defeat the proposal. I won't say that legislators have a personal relationship with the liquor providers, but one might wonder about that. The primary reason liquor store owners give for opposing sale of regular beer by grocers is that it would put some of them out of business. The "some" is estimated at varying percentages from 30% to 50%. The liquor store owners can be expected to protect their business interests, but the public should be aware that this is the same group who oppose opening their stores on Sunday and holidays, which would be a boon to tourism. The solution to the problem faced by the grocers is to buy out liquor stores as they come on the market. When the grocers own the same percentage of liquor stores that are claimed to be put put of business by allowing beer sales in groceries, the argument of loss of business will evaporate. Surely, like most things from the past, 3.2 beer will pass, only in Kansas it will take longer than in more progressive states.