is there a legal way to consume alcohol bought at a store, outside of a home, hotel room, etc.?
is there a legal way to consume alcohol bought at a store, outside of a home, hotel room, etc.?
I'm thinking in the U.S. and Canada. For example, if you're on vacation, you've checked out of your hotel room and have several hours until your flight, and you have some cans of beer left over. I know you could sneakily drink them in a park or something, but I'm just curious if there's any way to do it that's legal.
Upvoted for understanding everyone on this website isn't American and referencing the countries specific to this discussion clearly in the main body of the question
Rest of the world wondering what kind of Freedom©®™ makes it illegal to drink outside?!? 😂
The freedom that puritanical Christians enjoyed to write all the laws.
I first found out about this while trying to leave a bar with a bottle of beer when I was 22. I was like, "dude, I'm not wasting this, so you're telling me I have to get smashed for the next few minutes if I was to leave the bar without wasting my drink?"
You mean the freedom to pull up to a drive through liquor store (and I mean drive through, you're inside a large barn-like structure), order a case of beer (which they place in your trunk for you), two gin and tonics which they hand you in Styrofoam cups with lids and straws, hand them some cash and drive away?
I know, that's some awful Freedom. It's OK that you're jealous.
So, from what perfect country do you hail?
Drinking laws are local, or at least county level in most places. My town doesn't have any about drinking in public at all, just about drunkenness. The next town over is no public drinking at all, not even on your porch.
So there's no single answer, it will depend on where your are within the US. Couldn't say anything about Canada though, never been and don't know enough.
Be warned though, you may not be able to board a flight if you're drunk.
Las Vegas doesn't give a fuck how drunk you are to enter the airport. Literally had to guide and push my drunk coworker through TSA. I'm not sure if he even remembers getting on the plane.
I always assume those No Drunks rules is just to make sure the loud drunks stay quiet. Many people have a few drinks in the airport bar and stumble to the gate. As long as the drunk isn't being loud then they are mostly ignored.
Throw in a couple quaaludes and this is the only way to fly.
It depends on where you are. Public consumption laws are local.
It really depends on the town/city. Just drink it mostly wherever you want, just do it in a reasonable way.
I've sat on city park picnic tables drinking beers where it's technically not permitted. Or at beaches where it is (just no glass).
The only time I've ever had an issue was in a college town where cops were dicks (decades ago).
Actually, many parks do allow drinking. If you check the cities bylaws, they often state explicit locations where open containers are allowed and it often tends to be the major town parks.
In the US, off the top of my head:
- Pedestrians in Paradise, Nevada (the Vegas Strip) are allowed open containers in plastic or aluminum containers.
- The French Quarter in New Orleans has similar open container laws.
A lot of Austin, Texas too.
when i lived down in texas (and a couple other places), the stores had can-sized paper bags for the big cans and for regular 12oz ones. and i'd see guys having clerks at the store 'bag' their beer (even each can of an intact six-pack)....
then see them a few lights down the road chugging one at a red.
As of 2920, Chicago before 9pm.
In Baltimore, MD you can drink in Hamsterdam
I thought it was pretty crazy the way I found this out. I was in the French Quarter doing the usual tourist stuff and went up to a bar open to the street. They asked “for here or to go?”, then gave me a paper cup to go and the glass one packaged as a souvenir.
Kansas City iirc
There are a number of cities that have designated areas where it's OK to drink within a few blocks downtown or something where there are a bunch of bars.
Some restaurants have a “bring your own” policy. Go there, order food, and then you can drink your own drinks.
It's called "droit de bouchon" in France, meaning "cork right". Very old practice, commonly used by professionals
In the US you'll often be charged a corking fee if you do it.
Around here (Boston), it’s because liquor licenses are so expensive and difficult to get. Some restaurants can’t afford them or for some reason can’t get one, so they let you bring your own. No corking fee
Is drinking in public illegal across the pond??? wut
Yes, outside of Las Vegas, NV and The French Quarter, LA (other places noted below in comments, apparently).
I don't know any place that allows it, but I could be wrong.I think it harkens back to the days of Prohibition with dry counties. Someone can correct me, as my history recollection isn't great. I'm guessing it's not much of a problem in the UK, or wherever you are located?EDIT: Added other places others listed
Like many laws in the US, it’s a hodgepodge of local, county and state regulations. As someone else here mentioned you can get one small city where you can drink legally in a park and in the neighboring town you technically can’t even drink on your porch. Problem with the latter situation is that not only is it ridiculous, but enforcement is likely to be unevenly centered on people of lower income or whoever the police happen to not like.
Cities such as Denver allow drinking in parks, but make the law difficult to follow - you have to be more than 50 feet from “any roadway, playground, recreation center, or swimming pool”. So I guess in the center of large parks only.
You'd be wrong.
It really depends on the locale. It's largely divided between state and private land, but there's plenty of state land that it's legal to consume alcoholic beverages. I've been in many parks where it's legal.
Also most of Quebec doesn't give a shit about drinking in public places, as long as you don't do it on the train or the bus.
freest country in the world!
In my midwest city, you can't have an open container in public (however, they allow passengers of cars to have open containers). The way they work around this is you put the container in a brown paper bag and drink out of it that way. You can also put it in a different container. Just don't cause trouble and you'll be safe almost all of the time.
no issues if your vacation was to the french quarter of new orleans.
Hahaha. Live in Louisiana. Drink anywhere you want just don't be absolutely wasted while doing so.
Sure, the US has lots of places with no open container laws. I doubt you are going to go take a taxi outside of the city to drink a couple beers though...
If if were me? I'd give them to a homeless guy, or just leave them in my hotel room. Because yeah, most places either won't let you bring outside drinks (besides some fancy restaurants where you will need to buy a fancy meal) or will forbid alcohol entirely. Potential to bring them home in a checked bag.
Not that I know of, only best option I have found is getting the largest coffee cup with top you can find and fill that up with beer. Also make sure there is a place to pee.
get a really large cup and you solve the last problem with the first
You can drink liquor in most parks in my city (USA)
What city are you referring to?
Every city I lived in had clear laws against drinking in public parks. But then I found this post: https://vinepair.com/articles/map-states-drinking-public-parks
In any of the following states, you can basically kiss the concept of enjoying drinks in public parks goodbye: Arizona, Arkansas, Hawaii, Kansas, Maryland, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia all enforce statewide bans on public alcohol consumption with no exceptions. If you live in any of these states, it’s time to make some friends with nice backyards.
So it's definitely state by state!
I was surprised by how few states had laws against public drinking : i thought it was most.
Then I clicked into the details for my state of the above link and found out how useless that map is. Technically True, but:
Massachusetts upholds its strict tendencies with its open-container laws as well, so while there is technically no statewide ban on public drinking, it is effectively illegal
Yeah, open container laws. The state doesn’t care about whether you drink in public (most towns do), as long as you don’t have an open container of alcohol. Wtf
walk around a neighborhood and find someone hanging around their house. ask them if they would like to share your beers on their property.
The alleyway behind Costco
Nice, I haven't seen that.
Impressive. Usamericans are able to celebrate and praise themselves for their own hypocrisy.
In a lot of places, if an establishment has a liquor licence, it is forbidden to drink your own alcohol you brought from outside. Technically you can't bring a beer back to your hotel room from anywhere but the hotel's own bar.
Alcohol laws are complicated.
Here in Calgary AB, public consumption of alcohol is allowed in some parks.
I do this all the time. I’m in the US and I like to smoke cigarettes when I drink. Can’t smoke inside so I just find an outdoor area, usually near a smoker’s post, and just start drinking. No hotel staff have ever mentioned it to me in the dozen-or-so times I’ve done it. I usually stay out pretty late too. Around midnight. Disclaimers: IANAL and I’m sure I could be ticketed or even arrested depending on the state if an officer saw me doing this.
BYOB restaurants!
Consider why you want to drink so badly too...
Because, drug warrior, it's my body my choice and I should have the bodily autonomy to do as I wish.
Next, consider why the question made you so angry. Wow. I didn't even say not to drink, I said look inward and you got defensive. that's another warning sign