New Poll Shows Support for Reforming Indiana Alcohol Laws

A new poll shows a majority of Hoosiers favor Sunday alcohol sales and letting grocery and convenience stores sell cold beer.

The poll by the organization called “Chill Indiana” shows 70 percent of Hoosiers favor allowing grocery and convenience stores to sell cold beer and 65 percent support Sunday alcohol sales.

The poll also showed 64 percent of Hoosiers support lifting commodity restrictions on liquor stores and what they can sell.

Sixty-seven percent opposed allowing minors into liquor stores.

Fifty-nine percent opposed mandating liquor be sold only behind the counter.

The poll of 600 registered voters was taken May 8-11, and has a margin of error of  +/- 4%.

A commission has been formed to rewrite Indiana’s alcohol laws.  The first set of recommendations is expected later this year.

The poll also showed 56 percent of Hoosiers thought the state was on the right track.   Governor Eric Holcomb had a 54-percent approval rating while the Indiana General Assembly was at 49 percent.

Both House Speaker Brian Bosma and Senate President Pro Tempore David Long offered the following reaction to Chill Indiana’s news conference…

Brian Bosma

• “Indiana’s alcohol laws are clearly outdated as many of these policies haven’t been overhauled in generations. That’s why Senate leader David Long and I agreed to create a new commission, which will do a deep dive over the next two years to identify responsible, commonsense solutions to bring Indiana’s laws into the 21st Century. Our goal is to appoint knowledgeable individuals free of ownership connections to the many alcohol industry participants and their lobbyists. Our leadership team is committed to addressing these issues and I look forward to the work ahead.”

David Long

• “The General Assembly has formally commissioned a comprehensive review of Indiana’s alcohol laws for the first time in many years. All issues are on the table as we begin this process. I expect the study commission’s first area of focus to be the retail sector of alcohol sales, with formal recommendations being submitted this fall. I am hopeful these recommendations can guide meaningful legislative action with regard to our alcohol laws in the General Assembly’s next legislative session.”

The Indiana Association of Beverage Retailer’s which represents the liquor store industry had the following comment…

“Indiana must continue to have strict alcohol regulations because when abused or used irresponsibly alcohol can destroy lives, families, and communities,” said Indiana Association of Beverage Retailers Vice Chair Jon Sinder. “Big Oil is well-intentioned with their polls and campaign. However, they miss the point – alcohol is a dangerous commodity. It is not meant to be convenient. The small business members of the Indiana Association of Beverage Retailers remain committed to their mandate from the State of Indiana to protect Hoosiers while preserving access to these dangerous substances in their communities. As our state continues to be embroiled in a deepening addiction crisis, it is more important than ever that we look for ways to control access to potentially fatal commodities, not continue down the road of deregulation.”