Within 90 days, selling individual containers of beer and liquor that are a half-pint or smaller will no longer be legal in Ward 2—which includes Georgetown—Ward 6 and Ward 1. The act was passed last week by the D.C. City Council.
The legislation, proposed by councilmember Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6), is meant to curtail public intoxication, loitering, and littering. Similar bans were enacted in other wards over the summer.
This bill will allow Advisory Neighborhood Commissions to grant exemptions to liquor stores that request them.
“One of the differences we have in the Ward 6 ban is we intentionally created neighborhood flexibility,” Wells’ Chief of Staff Charles Allen said.
Opponents of the singles ban have argued that it discriminatorily targets the poor and does not address the underlying problem:chronic alcoholism.
