The Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control Board turns 75 this weekend:
The Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control is marking its 75th anniversary.
In March 1934, Virginia became a “control state” as the General Assembly voted to create the first three-member ABC board. The move came after residents voted to ratify the 21st Amendment, which called for a repeal of Prohibition and implementation of a “liquor control” plan.
Today, about 130 ABC special agents oversee more than 15,000 establishments that are licensed to sell alcohol. The department has about 330 stores across the state and says it has contributed more than $1.25 billion to the state in the last five years.
State control of the sale of alcohol like we have in Virginia is something that, quite honestly, never quite made sense to me. In New Jersey, alcoholic beverages are sold at privately-owned stores and it seems to work out just fine. In fact, I would say that the private stores in states like New Jersey do a far better job of meeting consumer demand than the state-run stores here in Virginia.
So, when is Virginia going to enter the 21st Century ?
