7 states that have strict laws about how and when you can drink alcohol

By. Ann Schmidt

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• The United States has a long history of regulating alcohol consumption, from Prohibition in the early 20thcentury, to the Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984.
• The Drinking Age Act essentially required all states to mandate a 21-year-old drinking age or lose federal funding for state highways and by 1988, all 50 states complied.
• Despite the mandatory minimum drinking age, states still have their own interesting laws about alcohol and some states are actually strict about it.

The United States has a long history of regulating alcohol consumption. 

In 1919, the ratification of the 18th Constitutional Amendment banned alcohol across the country. It wasn't until 1933 when Prohibition was repealed by the ratification of the 21 st Amendment. 

Before 1984, each state could set its own minimum age requirement for drinking. But then Congress passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act, which said states had to comply with a minimum drinking age of 21. States were compelled to comply, as the federal government would withhold federal funding for state highways if they did not. By 1988, all 50 states had complied. 

Despite the uniform drinking age across the country, each state still has its own unique liquor laws, including where you can buy alcohol and what times you're allowed to buy it. Many states have time restrictions on Sundays and restrictions on obtaining alcohol licenses. 

Scroll down to find out which states have some strict liquor laws. 

New Jersey only allows two liquor licenses per chain store.

Attaining a license to sell alcohol in New Jersey is no easy feat.

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Chain stores in New Jersey can only obtain two liquor licenses throughout the whole state, so even though beer and wine can be sold in grocery stores in New Jersey, it's not as common because of the license limit. 

The number of liquor licenses is also limited by population, so a municipality can give out one consumption license (for restaurants and bars) for every 3,000 people and one distribution license (for liquor stores and other off-premises stores) for every 7,500 people. 

This law makes it so attaining a license in New Jersey is incredibly expensive; One license even reportedly sold for $1.6 million.