Will Prohibition's Repeal Soon be Completed?

Over 75 years ago National Prohibition was officially repealed. But prohibition really didn't end. Some states continued their own prohibition for decades, others permitted counties and municipalities to create their own prohibition, and many states have long continued prohibition on Sundays and other times such as election days.

Yet progress is being made. In recent years, temperance-era sentiment has been declining. Within the last several years, 13 states have repealed the ban on Sunday alcohol sales: Colorado, Delaware, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia and Washington State.

Legalizing the sale of alcohol on Sundays has increased tax revenues without any increase in alcohol-related problems such as drunken driving or underage drinking. It's been a win-win situation.

Three states have recently eliminated the old ban on selling alcohol on election days: Delaware, Idaho and Utah. These laws were holdovers from the days when saloons were sometimes used as polling places.

When given a choice, people tend to opt for freedom of choice. For example, there have been over 300 "local-option" elections in Texas in the last few years. Over 80% of the time, Texans have chosen to permit alcohol sales in "dry" counties and municipalities. Doing so can reduce alcohol-related traffic crashes, which tend to be higher in dry counties. And it's also "green" in that it reduces driving because alcohol sales outlets aren't so far away.

But there's still much temperance sentiment expressed in high alcohol beverage taxes and numerous restrictions on consumer choice.