JEN RAINEY | Collegio Reporter

The Kansas legislature is debating a bill that would allow gas stations and grocery stores to sell 5.0 percent beer and hard liquor. The bill has divided many people in the State and some PSU students have taken notice.
Ian Perron says it would be a good thing if the bill is passed.
“I feel that the bill to allow 5 percent beer in stores is right and just,” said Perron, senior in biology. “I come from a town that has always been allowed to sell, so it was actu- ally kind of strange to see it wasn’t here.”
Still, Doug Jorgensen, director of the Kansas Department of Revenue, Alcoholic Beverage Control Division, says about 2,000 more establishments could apply for a liquor license. This could cause some liquor stores to lose business because it will make it more convenient for people to purchase 5.0 beer and liquor in the same place as other items.
Kenny Price says the convenience is a good reason it should be passed.
“It would make it more conve- nient to purchase, especially if places like Walmart start selling it, because they’re open later,” said Price, senior in communication. “It’ll be nice to go to one place for chips and drinks
instead of having to go to one place to buy food and another to buy drinks.”
Price says even if the bill passes, he still plans to purchase beer occa- sionally in liquor stores.
“Being a beer enthusiast I still like liquor stores for a bigger selection,” Price said. “Because they tend to carry more.”
There has also been talk about how the bill could open doors for under- age clerks at gas stations and grocery stores to sell to their underage friends. Students’ opinions on whether this would happen differ.
Brittany Robbins says she’s not opposed to the bill, but she can see where this could be a concern.
“It could be a problem because it could lead to underage people selling to their friends and then they could end up drinking and driving,” said Robbins, junior in commercial graphics. “I think they should make it mandatory to check ID’s unless you know for sure they’re of age, because you can’t always be sure if they’re of age just by looking at someone.”
Price says he doesn’t think the bill being passed will affect underage drinking. He says many places where this would be effective are already strict on checking the IDs of buyers.
“There’s not a big difference between the places that would be affected and liquor stores,” Price said. “For example, Walmart is strict on who’s being sold to, and they could always have ID checkers at the checkout line and as people leave the store.”
Another issue is whether it’s morally right to sell hard liquor and 5.0
beer in stores that chil- dren frequent. However, students like Kelsey Van Buren say people should be
held accountable for mak- ing their own decisions.
“The places sell- ing alcohol have no control
over what a person does with it,” said Van Buren, junior in justice studies. “They already prevent chil- dren from having it, which is about as moral as they can get at this point.”
The bill is still pending and is set to go in
motion this week.