In the United States, public policies that govern the manufacture, sale, and use of alcohol and define society's responses to alcohol-related problems are established by Federal, State, and local governments.

The legal basis for Federal and State regulation of alcoholic beverages is derived from the United States Constitution.  From 1919 until 1933, the 18th Amendment prohibited "the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors" in the United States and its territories.  At the end of 1933, Congress ratified the 21st Amendment repealing national prohibition and granting States broad power to regulate alcoholic beverages.

Ratification of the 21st Amendment gave States the authority to either permit or prohibit importation or sale of alcoholic beverages within their borders; to determine the specific structure of alcohol distribution within their borders; and to regulate various aspects of alcohol sales and possession.  These powers, however, do not preclude regulation by the Federal Government.  The Commerce Clause of the Constitution also grants the Federal Congress the authority "[t]o regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States..." —an authority that has been broadly interpreted over the past half century.  In addition, the U.S. Congress may use its taxing power, granted under Article 1 of the Constitution, to assess and collect taxes on alcoholic beverages.  Finally, the Federal Government may regulate alcoholic beverages in all areas subject to direct Federal control, such as public lands or military bases.

Federal law can also influence State alcohol policies by means of financial incentives.  For example, Federal law requires that a portion of the Federal highway funding be withheld from any State that allows the purchase or consumption of alcoholic beverages by persons under the age of 21 years.

As noted above, alcohol policy is established by Federal, State, and local laws.  In some cases, State and Federal constitutional grants of authority overlap.  In addition, all three branches of State and Federal Governments—the executive, the legislative, and the judicial—affect the framework of alcohol policy in the United States.

Statutory Law 

Every State and the Federal Government publish statutory laws in two forms:  enacted bills and codified statutes.  Enacted bills are those bills enacted into law during a given legislative session.  Enacted bills create new laws or amend existing laws.  Codified statutes are the enacted bills organized by subject.

To interpret enacted bills, examination of statutory codes is necessary.  A single enacted bill can affect multiple codified statutes.  Similarly, a codified statute may be the result of multiple enacted bills from one or more legislative sessions.

Every State and the Federal Government also creates administrative laws, often called "regulations."  Generally, administrative regulations are created by executive agencies under authority already established by statutory laws.  Typically, administrative regulations are first entered in registers or other record forms.  Later, the administrative regulations are codified by subject for ease of reference.

A great deal of governance surrounding alcohol policy is found in State administrative codes or the codes of the U.S. Government, including the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations.  States vary in their requirements for issuing formal regulations, and many governance decisions may be made in administrative decisions that are not included in a State's administrative code.  Administrative agencies may also have review processes designed to resolve conflicts arising under or requiring the application of administrative regulations.  The resulting administrative decisions also have the effect of law.

Case Law 

Law is also defined by courts charged with resolving cases requiring the interpretation, application, or implementation of various laws.  The Federal court system is separate from those of each of the States.  Each system has its own hierarchy of appellate courts to review the decisions of the lower or trial courts.  The opinions issued by these courts are known as decisions, or "cases," and are collectively referred to as "case law."

Courts only review a particular law when asked by a public entity or a private party.  All court cases start at the trial level and most decisions are made by the trial courts without further review.  Trial court cases have little or no effect (have little precedential value, in legal terms) beyond the jurisdiction where the trial court is located, and trial court decisions are not widely reported or easily accessible.

Parties dissatisfied with a trial court's application of the law can seek review from an appeals court, with the U.S. Supreme Court the final arbiter of Federal law and State Supreme Courts the final arbiter of State law.  Appellate cases are routinely reported and have precedential value within the jurisdiction where the appellate court sits.

For a list of alcohol policy areas addressed by APIS, as well as a framework for classification of policies by cross-cutting dimensions, consult the Alcohol Policy Classification System.

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