Repeal of Prohibition (1933)
The 21st Amendment ended federal Prohibition and handed alcohol regulation to the states. States quickly built licensing systems to control who could sell liquor, where, and when.
States rushed to issue permits and set rules for manufacturers, distributors, and retailers.
A lasting patchwork of state alcohol laws emerged, with each state running its own approval process.
It explains why a restaurant in San Diego needs a state-issued license before serving a margarita—the ABC system comes directly from post-Prohibition authority.
