This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
— Trib Talk: Tearing Down the Zion Curtain — The Salt Lake Tribune
"A new poll released earlier this week showed that 62 percent of Utahns want to get rid of the 7-foot-2-inch barriers – dubbed Zion Curtains — that new restaurants serving liquor must have.
"Thursday at 12:15 p.m., state Rep. Kraig Powell, R-Heber City, and Melva Sine, with the Utah Restaurant Association [joined] reporter Kathy Stephenson to talk about how this quirky liquor law came about and how it affects Utah's tourism and economic development. ..."
— Utahns want a shot of logic with their alcohol laws — Salt Lake Tribune Editorial
"Utahns who were recently surveyed on the state's liquor laws have a message for state lawmakers: Let's stop the silly games that pretend to limit alcohol consumption. ..."
— Poll: Utah's quirky liquor laws seen as hurting tourism, business — Kathy Stephenson | The Salt Lake Tribune
"Scott Beck, the CEO for Visit Salt Lake, received a letter recently from a disgruntled businessman who had just attended a convention in Utah.
"The man had ordered a beer at a hotel restaurant — the same hotel chain he stays at in cities across the country, Beck said. But in Utah, he was told he couldn't have booze unless he ordered food — a requirement under Utah's intent to dine law.
"At the end of the day, the $4 Coors Light he ordered in Denver, turned into a $13 beer in Salt Lake City because he had to order chips and salsa," said Beck. ..."
— Polling Shows Utahns Think Liquor Laws Harm Tourism and Economic Development — Bryan Schott | Utah Policy.com
— Poll shows Utahns think liquor laws hurt economic development, though most believe alcohol access not difficult — Dennis Romboy | Deseret News
— Utah looks to break Drug War addiction — Salt Lake Tribune Editorial
" ... Wednesday, the Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice released a list of recommendations that would, if approved, slow the rapid increase in the state's prison population, not by ignoring crime but by treating it with a great deal more intelligence. Among its suggestions was the idea that simple possession of illegal drugs should be a misdemeanor, not a felony. ..."
— Utah governor unsure about reducing drug offenses to misdemeanors to lower recidivism — Jessica Miller | The Salt Lake Tribune
" ... Among the recommendations to improve the criminal justice system in Utah is a proposal to reclassify what is now third-degree felony simple drug possession to a class A misdemeanor. The CCJJ also proposes reducing 'commercial drug offenses' from second-degree felonies to a third-degree felonies. ..."
— In the weeds — New York Post Editorial
"If administered as promised, New York City's new approach to marijuana enforcement could be a big step forward — for the cops, as well as for people busted for small amounts of pot. ...
" ... It boils down to this: Starting next Wednesday, says Commissioner Bill Bratton, those caught with fewer than 25 grams of pot 'may be eligible to receive a summons in lieu of arrest.'
"The mayor notes that blacks and Latinos have been disproportionately impacted by low-level marijuana arrests. The idea is to prevent, say, a young person with no record who is caught with a few joints from being dragged into the criminal-justice system. ..."
— Prop. 47 is a first step in revising stance on crime — Los Angeles Times Editorial
"In adopting Proposition 47 on Tuesday by a huge margin, Californians made a statement about the tough-on-crime policies of the last generation that increased prison costs and populations many times over while too often accelerating, rather than reversing, the descent of offenders and often whole communities into cycles of crime and victimization, incarceration and recidivism. Voters made a statement as well about the degree to which drug use and possession had resulted in unnecessarily long prison terms. They called for a new approach. ..."