OKLAHOMA CITY — A movement to allow Oklahomans to purchase their favorite wine in grocery stores is being opposed by retail liquor merchants and anti-addiction groups that believe making wine more accessible will lead to higher rates of alcohol abuse in the state.
Oklahomans for Modern Laws has filed an initiative petition that seeks a statewide vote on what would be one of the biggest changes to Oklahoma liquor laws since Prohibition was repealed in 1959 and liquor-by-the-drink was allowed in bars and nightclubs on a county-option basis in 1984. The group must collect the signatures of 155,216 registered voters in order to have the issue placed on the November ballot.
The state Constitution restricts the sale of wine almost exclusively to licensed retail package liquor stores. The state's more than 60 wineries are permitted to sell their own vintages in their tasting rooms and can also distribute their wines directly to liquor stores, bypassing liquor wholesalers.
Among other things, Initiative Petition 396 would create a new wine license to permit the retail sale of wine for off-premises consumption by grocery stores, superstores, supermarkets and warehouse clubs that have at least 25,000 square feet of floor space. Convenience stores would be excluded.
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