I hate Ogden. And I hate having to make emergency liquor runs all the way out to Ogden because my friends and I can't keep track of the days of the week. However, starting next month, I never have to set foot in Ogden again.
That's right — in a few short weeks it will become legal to purchase liquor in the City of Manhattan on Sundays. The law was changed by the city commission back in September, but the change does not go into effect until early November.
The student population of K-State has waited with bated breath for this glorious day.
In a state which has yet to ratify the 21st Amendment to the Constitution of the United States (the amendment overturning Prohibition), some may see this change in the law as a sign of the erosion of morality in government.
The sale of alcohol, particularly the sale of alcohol on Sundays, has been a much-debated topic in the state of Kansas over the last several years, and there are still 29 counties in which the sale of alcohol is still entirely illegal. However, most view this change in law in the City of Manhattan as a positive thing.
The most obvious reason the change in the law is a positive thing is I no longer have to go to Ogden. However, there are other positives. One of the biggest beneficiaries of the changed law is the Manhattan economy.
In the past, liquor stores in Manhattan have lost a large amount of potential sales due to the ban on the sale of liquor on Sundays.
Now that consumers of alcohol are able to stay in Manhattan on Sundays, their money will stay here too, as will the taxes taken in association with the sale of alcohol. In today's economy, no one can argue that our city can't use the money.
The other beneficiary of the new law is the consumer and particularly the college student. Students are stressed out, overworked, and stretched too thin by school, jobs, and everything life related.
We only get two short days a week in which to unwind, relax with friends, and have a little fun. And if we're being honest, alcohol is usually a part of that process.
Now that alcohol will be available for purchase on Sundays, the process of relaxation will be made so much easier. No longer will we have to take inventory of the house supply, look at a calendar, and put together an expedition to another county. Instead, we will be able to go to our favorite corner liquor store without fuss, and our weekend becomes that much longer and more relaxing.
Are there negatives to the new law? I'm sure.
However, the purchase and consumption of alcohol is not going away anytime soon, and forcing it into a different county one day a week isn't going to change anything. All joking aside, people must be responsible for their own actions. The law cannot be responsible for them.
Enjoy the new freedom to purchase alcohol on Sunday. Celebrate. But do so responsibly, if only to prove that we can handle the right to do so.
- Jessica Hensley is a senior in political science. Please send comments to opinion@spub.ksu.edu.
