City councils in Paragould and Camden are weighing proposals that would legalize public drinking in some parts of town while Fayetteville has opted to table its proposed public drinking ordinance indefinitely.
Watch this video to learn more.
Click here to download our free toolkit against public drinking.
This week the Paragould City Council took up a proposal to legalize public drinking in certain parts of the city’s downtown.
Act 812 of 2019 by Sen. Trent Garner (R – El Dorado) and Rep. Sonia Barker (R – Smackover) lets cities create “entertainment districts” where alcohol can be carried and consumed publicly on streets and sidewalks.
The legislation barely passed the Arkansas Legislature last spring, and it took effect this past summer.
Paragould’s public drinking proposal would let people purchase alcohol to-go in 16-ounce cups from bars and restaurants in the entertainment district.
People would be able to drink publicly in the district from 11:00 AM – 11:00 PM every Thursday through Saturday.
The Paragould City Council will consider the ordinance again at its next meeting in November.
The news comes as Camden considers a similar ordinance and Fayetteville’s city council opts to put its proposed public drinking district on hold indefinitely.
Family Council has put together a free toolkit to help citizens oppose public drinking ordinances like Paragould’s.
Our toolkit contains talking points, information about problems public drinking has caused in other states, photographs of public drinking districts elsewhere around the country, and other resources you can use to fight public drinking in your community.
This week the Fayetteville City Council opted to table a proposed public drinking ordinance indefinitely.
Act 812 of 2019 by Sen. Trent Garner (R – El Dorado) and Rep. Sonia Barker (R – Smackover) lets cities create “entertainment districts” where alcohol can be carried and consumed publicly on streets and sidewalks.
Act 812 narrowly passed the Arkansas Legislature last spring, and it took effect this past summer.
So far Little Rock, Mountain Home, Sherwood, Texarkana, and El Dorado have opted to legalize public drinking in their cities’ so-called “entertainment districts.”
The Fayetteville City Council says it will study the issue and discuss it with local businesses and residents before deciding if and when to take the issue back up again.
This is very good news, but it comes as city councils in Paragould and Camden weigh public drinking ordinances of their own.
Public drinking is a scourge on the community.
It raises serious concerns about drunk driving and public safety.
Public drinking won’t attract new businesses, bolster the economy, or revitalize Main Street. It hurts neighborhoods and families.
That’s why Family Council has put together a free toolkit to help citizens oppose these public drinking ordinances.
Our toolkit contains talking points, information about problems public drinking has caused in other states, photographs of public drinking districts elsewhere around the country, and other resources you can use to fight public drinking in your community.
Click here to download our free toolkit.
Photo Credit: “Old Main from the northwest, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas (autumn)” by Brandonrush – Own work. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported.
