Tonight, the House will vote on a concurrent resolution that I have sponsored along with Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) commemorating the end of Prohibition. The resolution celebrates 75 years of effective state-based alcohol regulation and recognizes state lawmakers, regulators, law enforcement officers, the public health community, and industry members for creating a workable, legal and successful system of alcoholic beverage regulation, distribution and sale.

I agreed to be the lead author of this resolution because of all of the fine work done by beer and wine wholesalers, not only in my district, but throughout North Carolina and the nation. Not only do they provide quality jobs to many of my constituents, all of the beer and wine wholesalers whom I know support outstanding charitable and community-minded programs throughout the 6th District.

In 1919, following the passage of the 18th Amendment, which prohibited “the manufacture, sale or transportation of intoxicating liquors,” the United States experienced a dramatic increase in illegal activity including unsafe black market alcohol production, a growth in organized crime, and increasing noncompliance with alcohol laws.

In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the Cullen-Harrison Act, which once again, legalized the sale of 3.2 percent beer, signaling the beginning of the end of Prohibition. On December 5, 1933, the United States ratified the 21st Amendment, which repealed Prohibition, and restored the control of alcohol to the states.

With the ratification of the 21st Amendment, primary authority was delegated to the individual states, establishing the state-based regulatory system for alcohol distribution that we still use today. This system allows each state to adopt individual laws that fit the beliefs of its citizens.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 17th, 2008 at 2:00 pm and is filed under Uncategorized .