A bill before the legislature right now proposes allowing alcoholic beverages in Nebraska State Parks. Two sides of the issue are the difficulty of enforcement vs. the possibility of attracting more vacationers to our state parks.
Anyone who spends time in Nebraska's state parks during the summer camping season knows that, in spite of the ban, there's plenty of alcohol to be found there. A walk along a lake shoreline will reveal more beer cans and bottles than you can count. Stroll through a camping area and take a peek at the beverages held by the folks in the lawn chairs. Law or no law, there's alcohol in Nebraska's state parks now.
So should alcohol be legalized? Many who oppose the legalization of alcohol cite the wild and raucous state of Lake Mac back when alcohol was allowed. Those looking for a quiet, restful camping experience worry that all-night drinking parties will destroy the peace and serenity of the parks. Visions of cans and bottles thrown everywhere or left in fire pits, drunks tearing through the campgrounds at all hours, drunk boaters, jet skiers, and water skiers - all this may keep some non-drinking campers out of the parks, leaving them to the party crowd.
On the pro side, having a beer or two with the brats and burgers cooked over an open fire doesn't equate to a drunken rampage through the park. Law enforcement need not peer suspiciously into every single campsite; they would only need to focus on obvious bad behavior.
What do YOU think? Should alcohol be allowed? What pros and cons to you see? How do other states, those that allow alcohol, handle it? What could be done to prevent those who've had one too many from driving a boat or jet ski? Chime in and let's hear what you have to say!
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Alcohol in the state parks...where do I start?? Personally, I don't think it's necessary to allow the consumption of alcohol in our state parks. When I visit one of our many wonderful state parks I don't want to listen to those who don't know when to "say when." I know illegal use of alcohol goes on now, however, I feel those who are breaking the law are generally quiet because they are afraid of being caught. NOT that I condone that in any way, I don't. Bad, bad, bad idea legislature.
ReplyDeleteI know a Game Warden (Conservation Officer) who is not thrilled at all about the idea of having alcohol legal again. This person remembers back when it was legal and all the problems there were to deal with.
ReplyDeleteWas that me? I do remember when alcohol was legal. Most of my summer weekends as a CO were spent "babysitting" drunks. There are few people with drinking problems that think they have a problem. As a CO I was calling for rescue (all volunteer in my area) for unresponsive people on a regular basis. I was spending a good amount of time at domestics. Sometimes the children were the victims. I don't believe it was a positive outdoor camping experience for them. Somedays there would be carloads of men from the city mission who would come out and sit on the beach all day to drink and "look at the pretty girls".
ReplyDeleteI know some people think that the CO is watching them all of the time. I only wrote a few tickets for drinking last year, but if you asked anyone, they would have thought I wrote hundreds.
If the public really wants alcohol back at the parks, I will live with it. If they are ready to live with some of the negative consequences of alcohol in the parks, then I guess I am too. My job is to enforce the laws written by the people. I am just not sure the people have thought this whole thing through.