Should Bars in Maine Stay Open Until 2am Like Most Other States?

Only seven states have a 1am or earlier closing time for bars, including Maine.

It used to be eight states where the last call was 1am, but New Hampshire just passed legislation this year, allowing bars to stay open until 2am. Should Maine follow suit?

Is Maine behind the times for closing times at bars?

Maine is in a handful of states where the closing time is 1am. Vine Pair documented the closing times in every state (2022), and noted the exceptions. For example, in Alaska, the closing time is 5am, but some smaller communities have earlier closing times. I was shocked to see that the closing time in Florida was midnight! Midnight? That's so early! Well, there are exceptions. Miami (5am), Fort Lauderdale and Tallahassee (4am), and Tampa (3am). Okay, that makes more sense.

Pros and cons of bars in Maine staying open until 2am.

Well, both are pretty obvious. The pros are that we will be in competition with states around us staying open until 2am. That includes New Hampshire, which passed legislation this year allowing a 2am closing time. Cons are that 'Nothing good ever happens after midnight'. The Old Port section of Portland is already a bed of drunken stupidity with a 1am closing time. Police would have to have more presence for an extra hour. That's an extra cost, and that probably isn't in anyone's budget.

I truly don't know where I fall with this. If it's extended, it's a choice of the bar to allow it or not. What do you think?