Strange things happen in the legislature if you aren’t watching closely — like a law passed at the end of the 2011 session that basically undermines the state’s liquor laws.
A Glendale strip club is using the law to sell alcohol past the 2 a.m. closing time that is mandated in the state liquor code.
, Shotgun Willie’s now stays open selling booze until 4 a.m. based on a law sponsored by Sen. Pat Steadman, D-Denver.
The law that authorized alcohol use within “common consumption areas” was to allow communities to set up entertainment districts, such as a proposed riverwalk district in Glendale.
The law specified at least two licensed businesses must be attached to a common consumption area. The local licensing authority can set the hours.
to create a “Go Cup” area in its downtown, a space where patrons with alcohol from one bar can walk outside in the designated area to visit other establishments.
Central City also has an entertainment district, Black Hawk is exploring creating one and the law was used when Crested Butte created the controversial Bud Light-sponsored “Whatever” event.
Last month, Shotgun Willie’s opened a smaller bar within its complex, and the city allowed it to become an entertainment district that could sell booze past the state’s 2 a.m. cutoff.
But giving bars a backdoor way to serve alcohol later than state law allows should not be tolerated.
The law should be amended.
that would have given communities authority to set closing hours past 2 a.m. The legislation, by Rep. Crisanta Duran, D-Denver, was touted as a way to deal with issues in Lower Downtown when rowdy crowds disperse from bars at the same time. It was opposed by law enforcement and Mothers Against Drunk Driving and shelved.
If we are to change alcohol laws, let’s do it through an open process in which everyone understands what is being debated. That’s not what happened when this 2011 measure was passed. Lawmakers need to take a second look at it when they meet next year.
