Louisiana Frozen Daiquiri Law Thwarted
BATON ROUGE, La. -- The Louisiana State House refused to approve a series of alcohol law changes this week -- even after stripping a controversial passage that would have allowed supermarkets and convenience stores in the state to sell frozen daiquiris under the same liquor license they use to sell sealed containers of liquor, beer and wine, reported KATC News Channel 3.
Representative Troy Hebert of Jeanerette, La., said that sales of frozen alcoholic drinks and daiquiris-to-go are allowed under current law have already been widely sold at such stores in rural areas. The commissioner of the Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control disagreed, however, stating during committee testimony that current law bans such sales.
Hebert said he was trying to clean up the dispute by clarifying the law to spell out that supermarkets, convenience stores and liquor stores already are allowed to sell frozen alcoholic drinks.
Opponents were afraid the bill would throw open the doors to allow nearly every corner convenience store to sell daiquiris-to-go and make it harder to enforce laws that forbid the sales of other types of non-frozen mixed drinks at those stores.
The House voted 51-to-48 to strip that provision out of the bill, but Hebert still couldn't convince the chamber to pass the bill. It failed in a 38-to-62 vote.
Representative Troy Hebert of Jeanerette, La., said that sales of frozen alcoholic drinks and daiquiris-to-go are allowed under current law have already been widely sold at such stores in rural areas. The commissioner of the Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control disagreed, however, stating during committee testimony that current law bans such sales.
Hebert said he was trying to clean up the dispute by clarifying the law to spell out that supermarkets, convenience stores and liquor stores already are allowed to sell frozen alcoholic drinks.
Opponents were afraid the bill would throw open the doors to allow nearly every corner convenience store to sell daiquiris-to-go and make it harder to enforce laws that forbid the sales of other types of non-frozen mixed drinks at those stores.
The House voted 51-to-48 to strip that provision out of the bill, but Hebert still couldn't convince the chamber to pass the bill. It failed in a 38-to-62 vote.