A Befuddlement of Liquor Laws. . . . . .
“The system didn’t used to be anarchic,” said Craig Wolf, the chairman of the Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America. “This result has come about because of attacks on the regulated system over the last 10 or 15 years. But it’s been effective for 75 years since the end of Prohibition. We created in this country the most vibrant and competitive market in the world.”
Mr. Wolf said most Americans were satisfied with the system as it is, “except for a small, very vocal segment who say they can’t get their bottle of 1997 whatever.” He said wholesalers support the system not because they want to protect profits but because of safety, and he warned that change might make it easier for minors to get alcohol.
“The bottom line is you whittle away at the system little by little, and what you end up with is what you have in England, where cheap alcohol has led to binge drinking through the roof,” he said. “We don’t have tainted and counterfeit products because of wholesalers. This is the gold standard. These things are going to be lost if regulation is ended.”
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