The coronavirus pandemic has shifted people’s focus to the holes in the state-wise alcohol laws in the US, especially the legislation concerning alcohol delivery. Usually, only some American states authorise the delivery of every alcoholic drink. However, there have been some legal relaxations recently that have an effect on the service. Maryland recently suspended the carry-out limits of craft beer since it permitted just a single case for each customer. California, Colorado and Texas now allow restaurants and bars to trade alcohol as a to-go order, which would be illegal in a usual situation.
Now, would it happen if it was not for the coronavirus pandemic? It would probably not. Are you aware of the number of states that usually permit liquor delivery? The number is just 12 states. The Consumer Choice Center’s Deputy Director namely Yaël Ossowski recently said, “Instead of emergency laws allowing home delivery of alcohol for a short period of time, states should immediately move to make these laws permanent to increase consumer choice for every American.”
If the coronavirus pandemic-enforced legal relaxations had not occurred, only people in those 12 states would have got all alcoholic drinks delivered right to their doorstep. On the other hand, 31 states permit the delivery of wine and beer directly to people’s residences now.
The laws on liquor vary by state, and these usually act as a reminder of America’s prohibition period. In other words, the laws are complex and sometimes even silly. In 2015, serving drink specials on the happy hour was not a legal thing to do in the state of Illinois. It is now encouraging every domestic bar and restaurant to deliver alcohol. When delivering alcohol, couriers must act as per the present laws, like the verification of age on the identity card.
In the event you are going through this blog post, you might be one in the millions of US citizens who are present at home. For your information, several states have already issued stay-at-home ordinances, and people in those places cannot visit physical stores for buying alcohol. Anyhow, some states have lifted alcohol delivery limitations for the time being to support small businesses and restaurants that would usually be not authorized to provide the service. Therefore, it appears a good time to reflect on the delivery-related laws, and possibly make the legal relaxations permanent.