In September, local TV news shows had stories about the panic caused by the disappearance of beer with 3.2 percent alcohol content.

If all you saw were those reports and what you read in the daily newspaper, you would think Tulsa was in a panic mode.

What happened?

Oklahoma liberalized its liquor laws and opened the door to the sales of strong beer and wine at convenience stores, pharmacies, groceries and other retailers, beginning on October 1.

Beer producers saw this coming and stopped making 3.2 beer in preparation of the change in law. In fact, most states have liberalized their liquor laws and someday soon, no one will produce 3.2 beer on a large commercial scale.

The net effect will be that people will get drunk twice as fast on the strong beer than the old stuff. That is just a fact. Someone who is used to drinking a couple of beers at night will get twice as much alcohol content.

When it comes to beer and wine, Oklahoma is starting to look more like Europe. Microbreweries are popping up all over the place. Places like Reasor’s, Wal-Mart, Quik-Trip and others have cleared rows and rows of shelves to make way for the sale of more wine and beer.

It’s disingenuous to think that this explosion of the availability of alcohol products is not going to result in more drinking. No one is advocating a return to prohibition (which didn’t work) but it is difficult to promote drinking in moderation when sales of alcohol are everywhere.

That means more DUIs, DWIs, underage drinking and a host of other social problems.

Welcome to the French version of the Sooner State.