Pennsylvania and Utah are the only states that continue to run a monopoly on alcohol sales since Prohibition was repealed in 1933.
Lt. Governor Jim Cawley announced last week that the time has come to get government out of the business of selling alcohol and put it in private hands, providing consumers with greater convenience and selection.
Cawley visited the Giant Food Store in a Reading, Pa. suburb, which would be able to sell beer and wine under Governor Tom Corbett ‘s proposal to close the state stores and put liquor licenses up for auction.
“It is time for folks in Reading and across Pennsylvania to be able to enjoy the same convenience and selection as virtually every other American has today,” Cawley said.
Pennsylvania and Utah are the only two states in the nation that continue to run a monopoly on alcohol sales since Prohibition was repealed in 1933.
“We should be able to pick up beer or a bottle of wine in the same place we buy groceries. Giant customers can do it in Maryland and Virginia. Why not in Reading?” asked Cawley.
Governor Corbett would allow various stores to obtain licenses, including:
• Grocery stores and pharmacies to sell up to a 12-pack of beer and up to six bottles of wine
• Major retailers, like Target, Wal-Mart and Costco, to sell beer by the case and up to six bottles of wine
• Convenience stores to sell beer by the six-pack
Beer distributors would no longer be limited to selling beer by the case and could also sell wine. In addition, they would be able to bid on licenses to sell spirits, making them a one-stop-shop for all alcohol.
“We need government to get out of the business of selling alcohol and instead allow it to focus on its important regulating and enforcement functions,” Cawley said.
