Pros

Massachusetts liquor stores now control over 85% of wine sales statewide. This law will allow fair competition and consumer choice.

This proposal would save consumers an estimated $26 to $36 million every year, by allowing more competition in wine sales.

Most states already allow consumers to buy wine when they shop for food at their local grocery stores.

State and national law enforcement statistics show that grocery stores are as good or better at enforcing minimum age requirements and other laws as package stores.

A Yes vote: would create a new category of licenses for food stores to sell wine, and would allow local licensing authorities to issue such licenses.

Question 1: Wine sales
in food stores

This proposed law would allow cities and towns to issue licenses for food stores to sell wine. Full text of this proposal

Summary

This proposed law would allow local licensing authorities to issue licenses for food stores to sell wine. The proposed law defines a “food store” as a retail vendor, such as a grocery store, supermarket, shop, club, outlet, or warehouse-type seller, that sells food to consumers to be eaten elsewhere (which must include meat, poultry, dairy products, eggs, fresh fruit and produce, and other specified items), and that may sell other items usually found in grocery stores. Holders of licenses to sell wine at food stores could sell wine either on its own or together with any other items they sell.

The licensing authorities in any city or town of up to 5000 residents could issue up to 5 licenses for food stores to sell wine. In cities or towns of over 5000 residents, one additional license could be issued for each additional 5000 residents (or fraction of 5000). No person or business could hold more than 10% of the total number of the licenses that could be issued under the proposed law. Such licenses would not be counted when applying the laws that limit the number of other kinds of alcoholic beverage licenses that may be issued or held. Any applicant for a license would have to be approved by the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission, and any individual applicant would have to be at least 21 years old and not have been convicted of a felony.

In issuing any licenses for food stores to sell wine, local licensing authorities would have to use the same procedures that apply to other licenses for the retail sale of alcoholic beverages. Except where the proposed law has different terms, the same laws that apply to issuance, renewal, suspension and termination of licenses for retail sales of alcoholic beverages which are not to be consumed on the seller’s premises, and that apply to the operations of holders of such licenses, would govern licenses to sell wine at food stores, and the operation of holders of such licenses. Local authorities could set fees for issuing and renewing such licenses.

(Source: State Elections Division)

Cons

Allowing grocery and convenience stores to sell alcohol could add almost 3,000 new alcohol outlets in Massachusetts.

This will increase underage youth's access to alcohol, and research shows that more alcohol outlets leads to increases in drinking related problems.

A series of studies in 2004 showed that convenience stores allowed alcohol to be sold to underage persons 52% of the time, compared to 18% in market/grocery stores and 14% in liquor stores.

Supermarkets and convenience stores often employ young people behind the register. Those young people would be responsible for policing their classmates.

A No vote: would make no change in the laws governing the sale of wine.

Source: Pros and cons from www.wineatfoodstores.com, noonquestionone.com, and The Official Massachusetts Information for Voters guide

Pros

Question 1: Wine sales in food stores

Cons

Question 1: Wine sales
in food stores