Taking Down The Zion Curtain
Written by: SAVANNAH BLAKE
In 1833, The founder and leader of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints, Joseph Smith,
began creating plans for a city. A holy city and peaceful refuge for the righteous fleeing the wickedness of the world. A cause fueled by the repetitive counseling Smith received from the Lord.
“The building up of Zion is a cause that has interested the people of God in every age; it is a theme upon which prophets, priests and kings have dwelt with peculiar delight.” - Joseph Smith
The plans for Zion would eventually be carried out, not by Smith himself, but by his successor, Brigham Young. Some 60,000 members made the Trek to the breathtaking valley we live in today. Salt Lake City. Zion. A place built on the ideas of freedom from persecution. Yet in an ironic twist, it is those of us who don’t believe in the suppressive messaging from The Church that are the object of persecution.
The heavy religious influence of The Church has had a strict affect on Utah’s alcohol and cannabis laws for our entire statehood. When, where, and how much alcohol/cannabis we are allowed to buy and consume is controlled effectively by those who don’t and may have never used these substances. But in recent years the small gains we’ve seen have led to even greater reform.
After having a strict CBD-only law, medical use of cannabis was legalized by ballot measure in November 2018. And just over one year earlier something else had changed. In March of 2017, bill HB 442 was passed, removing the requirement of the Zion Curtain in restaurants.
Zion curtains were partitions unique to Utah restaurants that separated restaurant bartenders preparing alcoholic drinks from the customers who ordered them. The partitions were often made of frosted glass since they were required to be solid, translucent, and permanent. The state of Utah is majority active members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and Saints abstain from drinking alcoholic beverages. Thus, partitions were mandated with the intent to combat excessive drinking by keeping alcohol out of sight of restaurant patrons who choose not to consume alcohol.
When HB 442 passed, old regulations were replaced with a rule that created a minimum 10-foot distance from the location where alcoholic drinks were prepared and tables where people under the age of 21 could be seated. The new bill also required that signage be at the entrance of every bar and restaurant that clearly states “This premise is licensed as a restaurant, not a bar" or vice versa. You know the ones. Back in 2017, as Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control began approving restaurants to take down partitions, restaurant owners rejoiced. They would no longer lose business because patrons didn’t want to sit facing a wall of frosted glass instead of a bartender.
The liquor laws in Utah may be notoriously burdensome for restaurants, but if we continue to come together as a community we can maintain our newfound growth. We must continue to progress. We must keep talking. We must stay educated on our history in order to create a better, more liberated future. That way one day, we may actually meet Zion.
