Introduction
Many people have very negatives views of night clubs and associate them with binge drinking, drug abuse, or crime. This is why their activities are closely regulated and their closing hours are usually restricted. However, night clubs cannot be viewed as the sole contributors to the social problems of San Francisco. They create opportunities for people, especially a change for relaxation and social interaction.
The government of San Francisco should allow the closing hours of the night club venues to extend to 4 p.m. because this policy will allow many visitors have more fulfilling recreation time. Moreover, it will increase the profitability of such venues and improve their economic sustainability.
Here I speak as a resident of San Francisco and as a person who wishes to find a compromise between the safety concerns of the public administrators and the needs of people who visit night clubs. For this speech, I have reviewed various sources showing that the closing hours of night club venues can be safely extended provided that some precautions are taken.
Main Body
Contention
By extending the closing hours of night clubs, the government of San Francisco will provide more opportunities to the residents of this city, especially those ones, for whom visits to night clubs are the only way of relaxation. This policy will also increase the profitability of many nightclubs.
This change will not necessarily pose a threat to safety of people provided that the government regulates the sales of alcoholic beverages. These venues also have to ensure that the guests do not take part in illegal activities. If these requirements are met, the closing hours can be extended to 4 p.m.
Needs
Night clubs serve various needs of many people. In particularly, they serve the need for recreation and social interaction. The visitors of nightclubs go to these venues because there they can meet new friends or relax by listening to music. These individuals do not always go to night clubs with the purpose of taking drugs or drinking. Current restrictions limit the opportunities that these people have. These people are forced to leave at a specific time, even though they have no intention to do so.
It is often argued that that the closing hours of nightclubs should not be extended because this policy will increase the number of violent assaults by more than 30 percent and make roads more dangerous (Kypri et al, 303). Admittedly, there is such a risk, and there are cases when the visitors of nightclubs act in an irresponsible way on the road or even commit crimes.
However, this risk can be explained by the fact that there are no limits on alcohol consumption. One should assume that people who visit such places are only interested in binge drinking. In many cases, they attach more attention to communication and listening to music, rather than drinking and drug abuse. If the management of night club venues imposes restrictions on the consumption of alcohol, the criminal and deviant behavior can be minimized.
The statistical data indicates that a person can indeed commit a crime after visiting a nightclub; however, such crimes are usually committed by those individuals who have already used alcohol even before going to the club (Hughes et al, 60). Thus, the risk of such incidents can be reduced provided that the management of these venues does not admit people who have already consumed alcohol before going to the night club.
Furthermore, one should remember that public clubs are important employers in San Francisco. By extending the closing hours, the government will help them become more sustainable.
Wishes
Nightclubs appeal to many young people because they enable them to cope with pressure and get relaxation. This is why they do not want to be restricted by the closing hours. The thing is that in the majority of cases, they do not act in a deviant or illegal way, but their freedom is restricted.
The management of many nightclubs does try to ensure that no the visitors are not engaged in any illegal activities. However, they do not want the government to put extra burden on them, especially when this burden limits their profitability. The thing is that they are made responsible for the crimes of which they are not guilty.
Both visitors of night clubs and the owners of these venues do believe that the government should focus not only on the closing hours, but on the security procedures that are adopted in such organizations. This is one of the most important issues that the government of San Francisco should bear in mind.
Conclusion
Night clubs should not be associated only with drug abuse, binge drinking, and crime. Many of these organizations attach importance to their safety rules and try to minimize the risk of unlawful behavior. By restricting their closing hours, the government of San Francisco will not resolve the social problems faced by the residents of this city. Moreover, the policies of the government should be more focused on the safety procedures within night clubs, rather than their closing time.
Therefore, the closing hours of night club venues can be extended to 4 p. m. without posing any threat to public safety. It will create more benefits to people who visit these venues and improve the economic sustainability of these organizations.
Works Cited
Hughes, Karen, Zara Anderson, Michela, Morleo, and Mark Bellis “Alcohol, Nightlife
And Violence: The Relative Contributions Of Drinking Before And During Nights Out To Negative Health And Criminal Justice Outcomes.” Addiction 103.1 (2008): 60-65. Print.
Kypri, Kypros, Craig Jones, Patrick McEdlduff and Daniel Barker. “Effects Of
Restricting Pub Closing Times On Night-Time Assaults In An Australian City.” Addiction 106.2 (2011): 303-310. Print.