It’s only natural to come across a weird legal statute or two as you do your law research. After all, the books are riddled with them. The thing is, though, that although some may seem to no longer serve the legislative intent they were created with, so it’s natural to think that these weird legal statutes aren’t enforced anymore.
Some aren’t, in fairness, but then again, some are. Here are just a few weird legal statutes that are actually still enforced.
No Getting Drunk in a Bar in Alaska.
It’s actually illegal to get drunk in a bar and stay there in Alaska, which sort of defeats the whole purpose of them. Either way, the state’s legal statute says that an intoxicated person can’t “knowingly” go and/or hang out where alcohol is sold. In 2012, Alaskan police were reportedly enforcing this law aggressively. They were even apparently sending plainclothes officers into bars to arrest unsuspecting drinkers.
No Modifying the Weather in Colorado Without a Permit.
Modifying the weather might sound like the sort of thing you’d see in one of Tom Cruise’s sci-fi movies, but it’s not only real, but an incredibly lucrative business. By sending substances like burning silver iodide into the atmosphere, it’s possible to create rain clouds, or affect the weather another way. In Colorado, you need a permit if you want to change the weather. This ensure that there’s minimal harm to the land.
No Dwarf-Tossing in Florida.
Dwarf-tossing is a real sport. Australia invented it. Florida, though, outlawed it. Owners of anywhere alcohol is sold can actually be fined up to $1,000 if they let people play the game, even. The legal statute was made in 1989, and as proof that it’s still enforced, an attempt to repeal it in 2011 proved unsuccessful.
It’s one thing to come across a weird legal statute when you do legislative history research, but it’s another thing to find one that’s actually still enforced. If you know of any others, feel free to share in the comments.
