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Advisory Board Discusses Alcohol Restrictions In Downtown Columbia

Paul Sableman
/
Flickr

The Columbia Substance Abuse Advisory Commission met Wednesday to discuss potential alcohol restrictions downtown. The commission consists of 10 members that range from nightclub owners to Columbia Public School District Appointees.

The commission’s mission is to advise City Council in all matters pertaining to substance abuse while promoting the coordination of programs intended to prevent and eliminate the abuse of alcohol and other controlled substances.

Commission members were torn between allowing clubs to create any drink specials they want and regulating specials that make it easy for college students to drink cheaply.

Commission member Joseph Priesmeyer defended the rights of the downtown bars to make drink specials as they please.

“We live in a capitalist society,” Priesmeyer said. “They should be able to sell however they want to as long as it’s legal.”

Drink specials can incentivize heavy drinking by imposing time restrictions on their deals. Kim Dude was appointed to the commission by the University of Missouri, she said. “These specials tell students to drink heavily and to do it fast.”

“Right now downtown bars simply make it too cost effective for students to drink in excess,” Dude said. “I had a student once tell me that it was cheaper to get drunk in Columbia than it was to buy a Happy Meal at McDonalds, that was problematic. I think that we just need to be able to figure out a way to have people go out, without creating incentives for them to get intoxicated.”  

Despite the growing support within the commission for creating changes to how downtown bars sell alcohol, Dude said that real change could still be years down the road.

“This is a very long process,” Dude said. “It is something that has been discussed for years. I just want it to be a safer serving and selling of alcohol, is my sole goal is to try and keep our students and our public safe.”

Before any real change takes place, the commission will have to meet to discuss the details of their plan moving forward before they can present their information to the Columbia City Council which would then address the issue further.