Law Enforcement Group Voices Opposition to Tennessee Wine Bill

More than 100 Tennessee sheriffs and police chiefs have signed a petition to prohibit strong alcohol and wine from being sold in grocery and convenience stores.

January 11, 2013

NASHVILLE - More than 100 Tennessee sheriffs and police chiefs voiced their opposition earlier this week to a state proposal to allow wine to be sold in grocery and convenience stores, Bloomberg reports.

The law enforcement group signed a petition by the coalition Tennessee Law Enforcement for Strong Alcohol Laws, urging lawmakers to keep the current rules governing wines sales in place, which prohibit stronger alcohol and wine from being sold in grocery and convenience stores.

Relaxing the ban would make enforcing underage drinking more difficult and compromise public safety, said Madison County Sheriff David Woolfork.

"The more you have, the more the problem," he said. "Rather than spending a lot of time investigating hard drugs on the street, they're having to police convenience stores."

Supporters of the measure maintain allowing wine and strong beer to be sold in additional outlets would enhance convenience for consumers.

Rep. Jon Lundberg is a main sponsor of the wine-in-supermarkets proposal, and he characterized the concerns raised by the law enforcement group as "ludicrous."

"This is not an alcohol bill, it's a business bill," he said, adding that he supports "incredibly strong restrictions on alcohol abuse," such as bringing Tennessee into compliance with federal guidelines on open containers in vehicles.

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