Three bills further normalize casual alcohol use in public places

The Washington State Senate's Labor, Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee will be voting on the following three bills tomorrow morning.

1) SB 5650 - Allowing craft distilleries to sell their own spirits at qualifying farmers markets. 

2) SB 6475 - Changing the criteria for the beer and wine tasting endorsement for grocery stores. 

3) SB 6477 - Concerning spirits sampling in former contract liquor stores. 

All three of these bills further deregulate alcohol by increasing the number of places where it can be sold or sampled. Not to mention that I-1183 establishes that spirits should only be sold in stores that are 10,000 square feet or larger -- how large are farmers markets? 

This legislation is part of a growing trend of bills that normalize the casual use of alcohol in places such as grocery stores and farmers markets -- places frequented by children.

Considering that most people drive to grocery stores and farmers markets, such bills also dilute the directive "don't drink and drive" to "it is okay to drink a little and drive".