The N.C. Alcoholic Beverage Control system — created in 1937 in the wake of the repeal of Prohibition — for the past 80-plus years has remained mostly static. But this may soon change, as lawmakers have offered several proposals to repair the broken, outdated system.
But what’s interesting this session, despite the many past attempts to reform the system, is that the proposed changes by lawmakers are simple and workable.
Long-needed reforms to modernize, build efficiencies, enhance consumer choice, and streamline a cumbersome system are long overdue. But even if substantive reform this session is unrealistic, smaller provisions have been well-received and, in turn, would have a significant impact on loosening the current rigid ABC system to encourage and to grow a burgeoning industry.
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