As teetotaler Sonny Perdue prepares to exit office this January, the ban on Sunday alcohol sales from retail establishments throughout the state is expected to be overturned by the new administration – Republican or Democrat – due to popular demand and economic necessity.
Most American states repealed Prohibition in 1933, but there are still three holdouts for Sunday sales of beer, wine and liquor from retail establishments – Georgia, Indiana and Connecticut. An additional eleven states still ban hard liquor sales but permit beer and wine.
In Georgia, Governor Perdue’s personal predilection is generally credited for the ban, as the majority of polled Georgians are in favor of lifting the prohibition.
Democratic gubernatorial nominee Roy Barnes and both remaining Republican candidates, Karen Handel and Nathan Deal, all agree selling alcohol on Sunday throughout Georgia should be a local decision and have said they would not veto legislation permitting Sunday sales.
Currently Georgian consumers wanting a drink on Sunday need to plan in advance and stock up the day before, or drive across the border to neighboring states to make Sunday purchases, or consume by the glass purchases from local bars and restaurants.
Once the statewide ban is eliminated, local cities will be able to make their own policies which should reflect local voter sentiment.
Today there are still some cities that still prohibit by the glass purchases from local bars and restaurants, although they just lost one city last week when Snellville lifted their restriction. Snellville is forecasting a 10 to 15 percent boost to its local restaurant and bar business thanks to the new law.
When Rome lifted its ban on allowing restaurant and bar sales on Sundays in 2006, local establishments initially saw a tripling in sales. Today they are still doing double in sales compared to the banned days.
In cities today who prohibit by the glass sales, the loss of business is often just a matter of a drive away to a neighboring city who will accept consumers’ dollars. In Statesboro, where Sunday by the glass sales are still prohibited, folks head over to Savannah for their Sunday dining out experience.
For more information on the history of Prohibition in the US and current Blue Laws, click here.
For additional articles on creating jobs and revenue in Georgia, see below:
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Comments
It’s a useless law anyway, banning alcohol and beer in one city when people can drive a few minutes away to another, nearby city without such rules.
I'll drink to that. Even Utah now allows booze to be sold freely.
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