SALT LAKE CITY - At a recent meeting of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission, Utah liquor Commissioner Gordon Strachan said he would like for Utah to eliminate the sale of beer at gasoline stations in order to reduce drinking and driving, the Salt Lake Tribune reports.

In response, Dave Davis, president of the Utah Food Industry Association, said such a ban would be "a bad idea in a state that already has established a reputation for quirky alcohol laws."

"We haven??t seen any empirical data that link sales at convenience stores to increased drunk driving rates," he added. "Banning beer sales at convenience stores would just be another feather in that cap of quirky laws."

The authority to ban beer sales in Utah rests with the state legislator, and last week, state Sen. John Valentine said he would be open to discussing the issue.

"I would want to know whether there??s a connection," said Valentine. "It is also my policy to meet with people who would be affected by the legislation."

State-controlled outlets sell wine, spirits and heavy beer in Utah, whereas lighter 3.2 beer is sold in supermarkets and convenience stores.