Daniel Okrent’s darkly hilarious “Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition” recounts how Americans abolished a widely exercised private right – and condemned the nation’s fifth-largest industry – in order to make the nation more heavenly.

Then all hell broke loose. Now that ambitious government is again hell-bent on improving Americans – from how they use salt to what light bulbs they use – Okrent’s book is a timely tutorial on the law of unintended consequences.

READ FULL COLUMN

RICHMOND, Va. — With about 5,000 brands of liquor available on store shelves nationwide, suppliers of some top-selling spirits hope modernization of state alcohol laws will get customers to try new products boost revenue for them and states.

Virginia is one of the latest states to change what critics say are outdated alcohol laws. Beginning in July, the state will let customers sample products before buying at about 330 Alcohol and Beverage Control, or ABC, stores.

New Jersey, Vermont and Maine also eased their tasting laws in the last year, and a total of 43 states have changed liquor laws to allow spirit sampling at stores, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, a trade association representing nearly 70 percent of all liquor brands.

Tastings laws are part of a larger movement to modernize state alcohol laws to cater to consumer demand and help generate cash for money-strapped states without having to raise taxes or cut programs. States also have moved to repeal age-old prohibitions on selling alcohol on Sundays and Election Day.

Full article: Some states easing laws on liquor tastings

Gov. Riley signed the Tuscaloosa Sunday alcohol referendum bill into law on Monday — freeing up the City Council to put the question of whether to allow Sunday alcohol sales to the voters. 

Right now the Council is leaning toward Feb. 22, 2011 as the date for the referendum in what may be a nod to our first President (and First Distiller) George Washington, who will be celebrating his 279th birthday. 

Read about it here in the Tuscaloosa News.

On April 13, voters will cast ballots in support or opposition to Sunday liquor sales.

Decatur-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce officials said not further restricting Sunday sales was the obvious choice considering the revenue generated by alcohol sales at off-premise locations, which include package, grocery and convenience stores.

“The on-premise piece of the business is only 5.37 percent, and so if only on-premise sales were permitted, there would still be a huge leakage of revenue to Huntsville, the city of Madison and Madison County,” said chamber Chairman Wade Weaver.

The suggested ordinance reflects the majority of Sunday sales laws throughout the state.

Read full article in today’s Decatur Daily here.

Alabama’s state Senate has approved a local bill that would allow a referendum on Sunday liquor sales in Tuscaloosa.

The state Senate passed a local bill Tuesday that would allow the City Council to schedule a referendum on the issue.

The bill now goes to Gov. Bob Riley, who has not indicated what he will do. His choices are to send it back to the Legislature with suggestions, sign it into law or allow it to become law without his signature.

The referendum would ask voters whether to allow the sale of alcohol on Sundays between noon and 9:30 p.m. When a Sunday falls on a New Year’s Eve, alcoholic beverages could be sold until 2 a.m. Monday.

Full story here.

For now, we raise a toast to Indiana for recognizing how irrational its Election Day alcohol sales ban had become, and for striking it down for good. 

Read more about the bill here: New Indiana alcohol law raises businesses’ spirits

The poll found voters in favor of allowing Sunday alcohol sales in liquor stores by a count of 56-39, up several ticks from the last Q poll on the topic. 

The poll was taken March 9-15 and surveyed 1,451 registered state voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.6 percentage points.

Click here to read more: Rell’s keno proposal panned in survey of state voters

House Bill 952, sponsored by Delegate S. Chris Jones, gives adult consumers the opportunity to sample up to three separate one-half ounce servings of spirits in any one calendar day at a pre-planned tasting event.

David Wojnar, vice president for the Council, had this to say:

“In today’s economy it’s more important than ever to give customers the tools to make better purchasing decisions.   Most consumers wouldn’t purchase a nice $40-$50 bottle of Scotch if they’ve never tasted it.  Repealing the ban on spirits tastings is a great, modern convenience for Virginians that ultimately helps Virginia’s bottom line.”

HB 952 passed the House on February 12 by a count of 75-17 and the Senate n February 23 by a vote of 31-9. Governor McDonnell signed the bill into law yesterday and it takes effect July 1, 2010.  

Forty-three states currently allow some form of spirits tasting. Thirty-one states, including Virginia, now allow spirits tastings at off-premise establishments, Wojnar noted.

As more and more states modernize outdated alcohol laws to generate more revenue without raising taxes or cutting programs, some Oklahomans feel their own state legislators should consider repeal. 

Randy Burleson, a founding member of OFLAR, recently told the Oklahoma Gazette:

“We think it’s a matter of consumer demand,” Burleson said. “We would just like to have the option. I believe retailers would like the option to be open on Super Bowl Sunday, too, or even on Sundays during the football season.  That’s money we could use in the state budget.”

Also according to the Gazette, Sen. Andrew Rice, D-Oklahoma City, who sponsored repeal legislation this session, said he knew of no public policy or public health reasons why the state should not allow Sunday sales.  Rice said:

“I suppose historically they didn’t want people drinking on Sunday, but you can always stock up on Saturday. We need to assess if this is an antiquated law that needs to be changed. I’m in favor of opening up all markets so that we can increase state revenue.”

To read the full article in the Oklahoma Gazette, click here.

To learn more about Oklahomans for Alcohol Law Reform, visit: www.ofalr.com.

Connecticut remains one of only three states in the entire nation that still prohibit Sunday sales of beer, wine and spirits. Indiana and Georgia are the other two.

The hearing, attended by about 100 people, lasted nearly four hours.  It was prompted by a recent PRI staff report that found Connecticut stood to gain up to $8 million in new tax revenues for the state annually from repealing the archaic ban. 

For pictures from the hearing and facts on Connecticut’s ban, click here.

“By its own estimate, the State of Connecticut would realize increased revenue in the form of additional excise tax and sales tax in the range of $7.5 to $8 million,” testified Jay Hibbard of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, referring to the independent PRI Committee’s December 2009 staff findings report.  “Sunday is the second busiest shopping day of the week and in today’s dual income households most shopping is done on the weekend.  Allowing the sale of alcohol on Sunday gives adult consumers more choices and added convenience.”

Hibbard added that in this difficult economy, revenue gained by Sunday alcohol sales would not only create jobs for package stores, but would also save jobs destined for extinction from harsh budget cuts.