Those living in the University and in Harvard Square will probably only experience the effects of Weld's plan if Square stores are able to lower their liquor prices and pass those savings on to their customers.
Despite the prospect of lower alcohol prices, Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis '68, who has renewed University efforts this year to enforce the legal drinking age and reduce student alcohol abuse, said that he doesn't believe the changes will have an effect on student drinking abuses.
"I would say that as a general principle, concerned as I am about alcohol abuse by students, I would not think that artificially inflated prices or restrictions on the number of retail outlets are the right kinds of tools with which to prevent dangerous binge drinking," Lewis said this week.
"If an argument is being made that eliminating such measures will increase alcohol abuse among college students, I would want to see some data from other states that would bear that out," the dean added.
Election
The alcohol proposal is one move Weld has made in order to attract the moderate Democrat vote in his upcoming Senatorial race against Kerry.
Weld, who has often been described as a socially liberal but fiscally conservative Republican, is expected by many pundits to base his senatorial campaign on promoting economic policies attractive to the middle class, in addition to social policies like the alcohol reform, which are attractive to working class and moderate Democratic groups.