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Walmart looks for last call on 3.2 beer in Utah

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) 3.2 beer on the shelves at Smith's Grocery in Salt Lake City, Friday, January 26, 2018. The selection of 3.2 percent beer in Utah grocery and convenience stores is expected to decline — as much as 40 percent — later this year. The beer industry want the Utah Legislature to change state law to allow beer that is 4.8 percent alcohol in stores. However, according to a new Salt Lake Tribune poll, Utah residents on split on the issue, with the majority of Republicans and active Mormons opposing the idea.

Beer aisles in Walmart stores across Utah now have posted signs that urge consumers to get involved in the push to get rid of 3.2 beer.

The retail giant is pushing for the Utah State Legislature to change the legal definition of beer to allow heavier brews to be sold in grocery and convenience stores, according to FOX 13. Customers are being asked to text a number to get involved in Walmart’s “Customer Action Network."

“Walmart is currently asking our customers who already buy 3.2 beer if they would like the option to purchase full-strength beer in grocery and convenience stores, without having to travel to a state-operated liquor store. With recent changes to Oklahoma, Colorado, and Kansas laws, Utah remains one of the only states where consumers don’t have this option,” Walmart spokeswoman Tiffany Wilson said in a statement to FOX 13.

Oklahoma, Colorado and Kansas recently voted to drop 3.2 beer, leaving Utah as one of the last states with the 3.2 limit. Utah is not a state known for its heavy drinkers and now represents less than one half of a percent of all U.S. beer drinkers.

See more at FOX 13.

Editor’s note: The Salt Lake Tribune and FOX 13 are content-sharing partners.