Although all municipal liquor stores must adhere to state law, many cities issue stricter policies for the regulation and control of the sale of alcoholic beverages. For example, municipal liquor stores do not employ anyone under the age of 21, although state law dictates a minimum age of 18 to serve alcohol.

In support of HF 1205, Minnesota grocers propose a "10-point Code of Conduct" that extends beyond state law in regulating the responsible sale of alcohol. A closer examination of this Code, however, indicates that grocery stores will essentially follow state law, and that proposed policies extending beyond state law are not overly stringent.

According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census 1995 (cited in Kenkal & Manny, 1996), alcohol taxes account for less than one percent of total revenues collected.

Increasing the availability, and thus the consumption, of alcoholic beverages in the state of Minnesota would not seem to generate a lot of additional income for the state, especially when the added costs of health, increased crime, increased motor vehicle accidents, and increased access for minors is taken into consideration. Studies by Jewell and Brown (1995) suggest that policies directed at "restricting the number of alcohol vendors may also be an effective policy tool in the reduction of drinking and driving. This tool could possibly be utilized as a relatively low resource cost since alcohol regulatory agencies already exist in all states" (p. 764). It would make fiscal sense for the state to limit the number of alcohol vendors.