Posted on 01/22/25
| News Source: FOX News
Baltimore, MD - Jan. 22, 2025 - The Baltimore County Council unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday which encourages the Maryland General Assembly to retain the state's current laws and reject any legislation that would allow alcohol sales in grocery stores.
"I'm thankful the Governor kind of backed off, but the legislation, my understanding, is still alive, and we want to put the Baltimore County Council on record on the side of our small and family and businesses," Baltimore County Council member David Marks said.
In December, Governor Wes Moore said it was "time for a change," and that lifting the ban on the sale of beer and grocery stores would make Maryland more competitive, especially because only a few states currently have similar bans in place.
"The proponents say this is going to increase competition in the long run," Marks said. "I think it's going to lead to more monopolies."
According to a November 2024 report prepared for the Maryland Retailers Alliance, done by economic research firm John Dunham & Associates, "allowing beer and wine to be sold in additional food retailers (as is allowed in 39 states) would increase overall alcohol sales in Maryland by $214.4 million resulting in 754 net additional retail jobs and $31.6 million in increased tax revenues."
"I would urge them to look at what other states have done," Marks said. "In Colorado, a similar measure passed in 2022 and it led to a severe drop in foot traffic in a lot of our small and family owned businesses, where foot traffic was going down by a third or a half after it passed, they've seen a lot of their small businesses shutter. I don't want to see that in Maryland."
The Baltimore County Council fiscal note related to this resolution reads, in part, "dozens of small operators have gone out of business, with as many as 400 more expected to close by the end of 2026, according to an analysis by the Denver Gazette."
"We have a tough economy right now, a lot of businesses are surviving at the margins," Marks added. "I don't want to do anything to hurt small and family owned businesses."
Even though many consumers have voiced support for the measure due to convenience, Marks said he wants to protect local liquor stores.
"These are the heart of our shopping centers, and I don't want to see them go by the wayside just so that Walmart and Safeway can sell beer and wine," he said.
With discussions of a possible policy change, previously, State Senate President Bill Ferguson said, “I think there’s a lot of things we need to worry about."
"I don’t believe the appetite is there,” he added.