It’s time to allow beer and wine sales in Maryland’s grocery stores

The recent government shutdown—and the disruption it caused to SNAP benefits—reminded us once again that too many of our neighbors live with the daily fear of not being able to put a hot meal on their family’s table. In communities across Baltimore, many residents living paycheck to paycheck face an even steeper challenge: the lack of accessible, full-service grocery stores that offer fresh, healthy food.

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Grocery stores operate on thin margins. Like any business, they cannot survive without profit. When grocers close or choose not to locate in underserved areas, neighborhoods are left with cavernous, empty retail spaces that can remain vacant for years. Property owners struggle to attract new tenants, and residents must travel farther to buy basic necessities. Meanwhile, the vacant storefronts accelerate deterioration, weaken community morale and contribute to the cycle of blight.

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