In PA, It's Still Illegal To Buy Booze Outside the State and Bring it Back

Prohibition is over, folks

HARRISBURG — The Keystone State's Prohibition-era liquor laws might encourage some residents to buy alcohol from other states and bring it back to Pennsylvania.

It used to be called bootlegging, which refers to the illegal manufacture, sale or distribution of alcohol. Yet Pennsylvania has a criminal statute that still prohibits the practice.

The past few weeks have featured rampant discussion on the pros and cons of the state's alcoholic beverage control system as the state House passed House Bill 790, which would sell off the state system and create a private liquor business.

Peppering the discussion was talk of  "border bleed"— Pennsylvanians who drive to other states to buy alcohol.

Comments

[BBB]

Some of us Pennsylvanians go out of state to buy alcohol because the *#$& state stores don't carry the products we want, or are perpetually out of stock of them, or, taxes aside, are just too expensive. I live in a town with six or so Wines & Spirits stores (the ones that sell wine and distilled spirits). They specialize in garbage wine -- numerous aisles are devoted to "beverage wines," "box wines" (most, but not all, of which are 'meh'), 1.5L bottled wines (which is never the fancy stuff), PA/NY wines (nearly all of which are made from Niagara and Concord grapes), and kosher wines (Manischewitz, Mogen David, etc.).

But just try finding more than one bottle of, say, a Malbec from France, or a nicer German Riesling. Don't even *think* of Greek wines. If you're lucky enough to find what you want, buy a lot, because it might not be there next time. And if it's not there next time, not one of the barely sentient unionized clods working the registers will be able to tell you when it will be back in stock.

I noted that, on my visit to the closest store last night, the UFCW had their "oppose privatization" petition out for signatures. I want to know where the "support privatization" petition was. Jerks.

Finally, the state stores smell bad. Every one of them. Gack.