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Last updated on Monday, February 11, 2013
(INDIANAPOLIS) - The battle over the sale of liquor in Indiana, regardless of the day of the week, has been raging for decades.
Richard Essex of WTHR reports that Indiana was the first state to set a blood alcohol content for drunk driving. Woman were not allowed to tend bar until 1967. In 1969 woman were allowed to sit at a bar but not stand.
Indiana is the last state to allow some type of carry-out liquor sales on Sundays. As of now, the only place to buy carry-out beer in the state of Indiana on a Sunday is at a brewery.
Three years ago the law changed so that people can buy beer on Sunday and take it home, as long as the beer that was brewed, bottled or, in Mills' case this particular Sunday, put in a keg in the same building.
Indiana is the only state that does not allow liquor stores, grocery stores, convenience stores or any other store that sells beer, wine and liquor Monday-through-Saturday, to also sell it on Sunday.
The arguments for and against Sunday carry-out sales have been brewing for decades. And it comes down to one simple issue - competition. Liquor store owners feel they cannot compete against big box retailers
Liquor store owners have waged a robust fight against competition since prohibition ended. In 1954, drugstores were allowed to sell liquor. In 1984, the owners of Kocolene Convenience stores sued to sell beer. Now grocery stores and drug stores, gas stations and convenience stores all sell beer, wine and or liquor, but not cold beer. That is exclusive territory of package liquor stores.
Liquor store owners fear that unrestricted Sunday sales will result in loss of stores. They say when Colorado opened up sales, almost ten percent of the package stores closed.
To read more on this story visit http://www.wthr.com/story/21097032/sunday-alcohol-sales
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