is there a legal way to consume alcohol bought at a store, outside of a home, hotel room, etc.?
I'm thinking in the U.S. and Canada. For example, if you're on vacation, you've checked out of your hotel room and have several hours until your flight, and you have some cans of beer left over. I know you could sneakily drink them in a park or something, but I'm just curious if there's any way to do it that's legal.
Upvoted for understanding everyone on this website isn't American and referencing the countries specific to this discussion clearly in the main body of the question
I grew up in Norway, but haven't lived there for some time. When I first read this I was like "bullshit. you can drink anywhere". But, I looked it up and you are correct. However, it is not very often enforced unless you're being a nuisance. Drinking and driving on the other hand is taken very seriously. Don't even gamble with that a little bit in Norway.
It's honestly the same in the US. You can drink a beer in public. I think those laws are probably mostly used to harass homeless people, or selectively enforced at like playgrounds or outside businesses.
I first found out about this while trying to leave a bar with a bottle of beer when I was 22. I was like, "dude, I'm not wasting this, so you're telling me I have to get smashed for the next few minutes if I was to leave the bar without wasting my drink?"
You mean the freedom to pull up to a drive through liquor store (and I mean drive through, you're inside a large barn-like structure), order a case of beer (which they place in your trunk for you), two gin and tonics which they hand you in Styrofoam cups with lids and straws, hand them some cash and drive away?
I know, that's some awful Freedom. It's OK that you're jealous.