Gov. Cox removes Russian products from Utah State Liquor Stores

By Ian Summers

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox issued an executive order last month that requires Russian-produced and
Russian-branded products to be removed from shelves in Utah State Liquor Stores. The order requires
the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity to review the state’s procurements for any other
economic relationships with Russia.  
Not all Utahns think this order is useful, however. “This is not something that will have any
effect at all,” said Randy Simmons of the economics and finance department in the Jon M. Huntsman
School of Business at Utah State University. “Are there good substitutes? I think there are. It depends on
people’s taste. The things on the shelf have already been purchased by the state. All it does is punish
Utahns who prefer Russian vodka.”  
Cox apparently disagrees. “We will do our part to push back on the Russian invaders and stand
with our sisters and brothers in Ukraine,” he said on Twitter.
“Russia’s ruthless attack on a sovereign nation is an egregious violation of human rights,” Cox
said in a press release. “Utah stands in solidarity with Ukraine and will not support Russian enterprises,
no matter how small the exchange.”