Molly Ivins, bless her soul, used to call it "the law of unintended consequences" - the fact that people who write our laws sometimes, even if their hearts are in the right places, don't always think through the domino effect of their modest proposal.

That appears to be the case with flavored malt beverages - sometimes called "alco-pops" or "cheerleader beer" - that will be barred from Utah grocery stores and convenience stores starting Oct. 1.

The law, passed this last legislative session, says such flavored beverages - which includes Smirnoff Ice, Bacardi Silver and even Bud Light Lime - can only be sold in state liquor stores (where the markup is 85 percent). Gov. John Huntsman supported the change, in order to get a change in the law to allow stiffer drinks in private clubs.

And because the law requires new labeling and packaging, according to the Tribune's Dawn House, the major beer makers who market such products probably will skip Utah altogether.

"All Anheuser-Busch flavored malt beverages will no longer be available in Utah," Michael Brennan, president of General Distributing Co., the state's largest beer distributor, told House. "I don't think the public understands that 3.2 flavored beverages will be gone."

And that, according to Jim Olsen, president of the Utah Food Industry Association, may have been legislators' intent all along. Olsen said that some advocates of the law intended "to eliminate flavored malt beverages from Utah. Period."

Here's where the unintended consequences come in: If you go into a liquor store looking for one of these "alco-pops" and can't find any, maybe you'll buy some hard-liquor alternative - for example, peach schnapps or Southern Comfort - which will get you drunker faster before driving home. All this so Gov. Huntsman can get potential investors from out-of-state liquored up enough to do business in the state.

Score another point for the Utah Legislature in their ongoing effort to "fix" our alcohol laws and make things worse.

Labels: alcohol laws