Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- In an attempt to curb excessive drinking of alcoholic beverages, city officials have proposed an ordinance that would limit purchasers of kegs of beer to having one at a time at a house or an apartment. Excessive drinking leads to misbehavior that harms other citizens, officials say.

And a purchaser would have to obtain a registration sticker to place on the keg -- for a $5 fee -- from the city Board of Licenses.

"We're having these incidents of a hundred college kids in a basement with 10 kegs ... ," said Caitlin Thomas-Henkel, director of the Mayor's Substance Abuse Prevention Council.

The proposed ordinance covers the possession of kegs in an area zoned for residential use or in a dwelling. Only one keg at a time would be allowed per dwelling.

The registration is meant to be a control on the number of kegs tapped at a get-together or house party as well as a way to screen out underage people from buying a keg. Keg purchases already must be registered at the point of purchase in an effort to screen out underage buyers, under state law, but that law does not limit the number of kegs that may be obtained.

The ordinance, which is backed by the Police Department and the administration of Mayor David N. Cicilline, among others, has been introduced to the City Council and is co-sponsored by Councilmen Michael A. Solomon and John J. Lombardi.

 Tags  Providence RI

Comments

Dave said:

Worthless. They'll just have separate folks pick up the kegs, or they'll buy across state lines. Cheaper in Massachusetts anyway. More dollars wasted on foolish government practices, and a barely veiled attempt to tax us even more.

Link | April 21, 2009 6:07 PM
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Common Sense said:

I recently installed a two tap beer system in my home. One light ale and one heavier. It contains TWO small (5.5gal) kegs.

This generates no bottle, can, or cardboard waste. It is cheaper than buying bottles or cans. It allows me to buy local beer fresh from the local brewer, so the beer is fresher and therefore tastier. It also saves by curbing the pollution generated by distribution and subsequent resale.

So now my investment, potential savings, and green thinking is sunk because college kids drink.

Enforce existing laws.

Link | April 21, 2009 6:19 PM
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Joe said:

"Only one keg at a time would be allowed per dwelling" "but that law does not limit the number of kegs that may be obtained"

Do those statements seem to contradict each other a bit?

How about just enforce the existing laws, or have stiffer penalties for those caught.

What a waste of time. Let's govern what responsible adults can do because of some underage college kids who will most likely leave the state after a few years anyway.

Link | April 22, 2009 11:16 AM
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