Grocery Stores Can't Sell Alcohol, Despite County's Push

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — A bill to let some Prince George's County supermarkets sell alcohol failed Monday. The motion never made it past its first committee vote, meaning it missed a crucial deadline. Like many controversial proposals, the plan fell short on crossover day, or the date that all legislation must be passed to the other chamber.

The bill would have let grocery stores sell beer and alcohol in areas saturated with liquor retailers. The county thought this may lure supermarkets into food deserts, or areas with few grocers.

Food deserts tend to have more liquor vendors than supermarkets, WUSA9 reported. Prince George's County Executive Alsobrooks told the news outlet that the jurisdiction has 139 liquor stores compared to 93 grocers. Towns inside Interstate 495 average two liquor stores per square mile, journalist Scott Broom added.

Alsobrooks thought grocery stores could have capitalized on this market for alcohol while also bringing healthier options into vulnerable communities.

"This legislation will incentivize grocers to locate to critical areas of the County," Alsobrooks tweeted before the measure failed. "This is one way we are seeking to ensure all of our residents have access to healthy food and fresh produce."

To learn more about how the legislation may have recruited supermarkets to food deserts, check out WUSA9's story. Read the bill at this link.

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