Since the repeal of Prohibition, most regulations pertaining to the sale and distribution of alcohol has been left to the states under the “three tier” system of distribution, in which manufacturers sell to distributors and control boards, who sell to retailers, who sell to the public according to laws and guidelines of varied stringency. Some states are better than others: Massachusetts bans the concept of happy hour entirely, and in 17 “control states” the government is in charge of selling alcohol to some degree. Virginia’s Soviet-style state-run ABC stores offer consumers the opportunity to enter a lottery to purchase rare spirits, and in Pennsylvania, the Keystone state is your sole provider of liquor and wine.
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