Fiction and Non-Fiction Books by Mark Spivak

The headline on the accompanying newspaper story is only partly true. Eighty years after the Repeal of Prohibition, there are still a number of states with antiquated and restrictive liquor laws. Among the worst of these, as you might imagine, is Utah. The 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City shined a spotlight on the state’s alcohol statutes, and things haven’t loosened up much in the intervening decade.

You can order a drink in a restaurant with a liquor license, but only when consuming food---if you want a libation while looking over the menu, forget it. This law doesn’t apply to bars, since the patrons have presumably corrupted their souls by the mere act of entering the building. There’s also an exception for airport lounges, since the sinners are on their way out of the state and can no longer exercise a negative influence on the locals. Want to buy beer, wine or liquor? Go to a state-operated store. The most absurd liquor law in Utah, however, is the so-called Zion Curtain. (more…)