Repeal of Prohibition (1933)
The 21st Amendment ended Prohibition, which had banned alcohol sales nationwide since 1920. The amendment gave each state authority to regulate alcohol within its borders. Virginia and most other states created dedicated alcohol control agencies afterward.
States set up licensing systems that remain in force today. A restaurant in Virginia must hold a state ABC license to serve alcohol.
The state-level licensing model persists nearly a century later. Every restaurant that wants to serve beer, wine, or cocktails must first get this approval.
This explains why Jarochitos Tacos needs a Virginia ABC license before it can serve alcohol at its new Newport News location.
