In 2023 Alabama increased the amount of alcohol that can be picked up curbside. They now allow an individual to pick up 120 beers, 12 bottles of wine, and 12 fifths of liquor, creating a dangerous opportunity for heavy drinking episodes.

Alaska raised $13,980,428 dollars in the first 11 months of its 2021 retail sales tax increase. State voters approved the measure and, in doing so, allowed for the delegation of funds earmarked for three broad categories: 1. Combating child abuse, sexual assault, and domestic violence. 2. Targeting homelessness, mental health, and substance misuse. 3. Public safety and criminal justice.

In 2023 Arizona passed a law allowing customers at malls to walk around with an open container of alcohol while they shop, creating an opportunity for excessive and underage drinking.

A 2023 law passed by the Arkansas state assembly allows a state park to begin selling alcohol without a permit.

Of the 29 bills tracked by Alcohol Justice related to alcohol in 2023, none were vetoed, and 62% were signed into law, including a law that extends the delivery of alcohol through UPS and FedEx.

Colorado increased access to alcohol by automatically converting 1,800 off-premises beer permits into a beer and wine license after a 2022 ballot initiative.

Connecticut decreased the beer excise tax by 16.7% in 2023, furthering the state’s support for the alcohol industry over public health and safety.

The Delaware state house passed a 2023 bill banning all open alcohol containers while driving. The state delegate who introduced the legislation pointed out that, after 18 alcohol-involved crashes in Delaware led to fatalities in 2022, the measure could help.

A Florida state house member filed a bill in 2023 that would remove Florida’s limit on the maximum volume of any wine container sold to consumers. Through HB 583, individual glass containers would be allowed of any size or through an already approved reusable bottle holding 5.16 gallons. The law currently includes a provision, statute 564.09, declaring wine sold off premises by a licensed vendor must be in an unopened original container.

In 2023, voters in Georgia overwhelmingly voted in favor of allowing grocery stores, wine shops, and package stores to begin selling booze at 11 a.m. rather than 12:30 p.m. on Sundays. It also extends Sunday buying time by the drink and package to 12 a.m. instead of 11:30 p.m.

In 2023, advocates in Hawaii pushed to lower the legal BAC of drivers from .08 to .05 with significant bipartisan support.

A 2023 state law in Idaho banned the resale of liquor licensing and limited the total amount of future licenses issued statewide.

In 2023 Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill into law extending alcohol to go until 2028, making alcohol more accessible to youth.

Banned in 15 states, Samuel Adams' ultra-strong beer (20% ABV) returned to Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky in 2023.

In 2023, Iowa changed Minimum Age to sell spirits from 18 to 16, giving youth easy access to alcohol.

A 2023 bill in Kansas could allow grocery stores, restaurants and liquor stores to deliver beer, wine and spirits to a person, either on their own or via a third-party delivery service, such as DoorDash or UberEats.

In 2023 Kentucky passed a bill removing a tax on barrels of bourbon, making alcohol even cheaper, despite the fact that Kentucky has one of the lowest distilled spirits taxes in the country.

In 2023, a local municipality began allowing the sale of beer on Sunday mornings in golf courses and bars as early as 6am, a reversal of decades of regulation and in contradiction to most towns in the state.

In 2023 Dunkin Donuts began selling spiked coffees in Maine. The coffee has an alcohol by volume of 6% and comes in original, caramel, mocha and vanilla flavors. The teas are 5% ABV and include varieties like half tea and half lemonade, strawberry dragonfruit and mango pineapple.

Maryland continues to prohibit the sale of alcohol in grocery stores statewide. As of December 2023, it remains one of four states with policies in place prohibiting the sale of alcoholic beverages in grocery stores statewide.

In August of 2023, DoorDash halted alcohol deliveries to college campuses in Massachusetts. "To further strengthen these protections, and going beyond what is required by state law, we will be blocking deliveries to college campuses and implementing bans on similar high-risk areas. Simply put — if you are on a college campus, you will not be able to order alcohol for delivery on the DoorDash Marketplace platform," company officials wrote.

In 2023 Michigan passed a policy allowing public universities to sell alcohol at college football, basketball and hockey games, despite concerns for health and safety.

The Minnesota department of natural resources began cracking down on enforcement of boating while under the influence of alcohol as part of “Operation Dry Water,” a nationwide campaign to highlight the dangers of boating under the influence of drugs and alcohol and call attention to the heavy penalties associated with boating while intoxicated.

A 2024 Mississippi bill to allow direct shipment of wine was defeated, protecting a best practice to reduce access to alcohol and thus reduce excessive consumption, violence, and other alcohol-related harm.

After a Missouri city began allowing open containers on a main street, violent crime spiked and the state stepped in to reverse the new ordinance, leading to safer consumption laws.

A bill out of the Montana state passed in 2023, allowing state agency liquor stores to remain open on holidays and Sundays.

In 2023, Nebraska passed a new law that allows wineries to sell beer and liquor that is not produced by the winery, increasing the number of alcohol retailers in the state. Additionally, non-profit organizations are now able to get 12 permits each year to host events that sell alcohol, doubling the previous number of allowable permits.

A 2023 bill in the Nevada state legislature would make it easier for breweries in the state to sell and distribute beer statewide.

A 2023 bill in New Hampshire increased penalties for overservice at bars and restaurants, including a $5,000 increase in fines and a 20 day increase in license suspension.

After numerous complaints about drunk and disorderly conduct, in 2023 five coastal towns in New Jersey banned the possession of alcohol on more than 40 miles of beach and boardwalk.

In 2023 New Mexico chipped away at a $0.25 per drink alcohol tax, with the House passing a $0.05 per drink tax before the tax was vetoed by the Governor. In New Mexico, total contributions from the industry, its lobbyists, PACs, allied organizations and individuals was $2.16 million from 2013 to the spring of 2023. An additional $456,388 was spent to wine and dine policymakers, bringing the total spent to $2.62 million.

In 2023 Gov. Kathy Hochul made access to alcohol easier– by signing a package of legislation that allows for the retail sale of beer on Sundays and permits liquor and wine stores in New York to open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sundays.

A 2023 bill in the state Senate allowed local governments to sell alcohol starting at 10 a.m. on Sundays and end a statewide ban on happy hours.

In 2023 North Dakota introduced a bill to allow alcohol sales on Thanksgiving for the first time, which would have increased access to alcohol and gone against the best available science. Fortunately, that bill was rejected by the legislature.

Banned in 15 states, Samuel Adams' ultra-strong beer (20% ABV) returned to Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky in 2023.

As of 2023, Oklahomans can now purchase buckets of beer at bars and restaurants.

The Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission wants to increase the surcharge on alcohol to $1 per bottle of liquor. That money would go into the general fund for the state, and pay for more than $100 million in new spending on behavioral health and addiction services in the next two-year budget

A study released in June 2023 found that 58% of underage buyers were carded for alcohol and still served during Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement age-compliance checks at licensed establishments. Additionally, There were 9,220 alcohol-related crashes in Pennsylvania in 2021, up from 7,700 in 2020. No major legislation has been introduced to address these issues.

Data released by the Rhode Island department of health in November 2023 has shown that, at the height of the COVID 19 pandemic, Rhode Island saw one of the highest increases in alcohol-related deaths in the country. Rhode Island remains as one of the states with the highest rates of teen alcohol abuse in the country in 2023.

A bill introduced in the South Carolina state assembly in March of 2023 allowed local municipalities to create their own referendums on the state’s ban of alcoholic liquors on Sundays.

In 2022 South Dakota passed a bill that extended “the sale of alcoholic beverages into general admission areas of performing arts and athletic events." This has led to hundreds of thousands of dollars in alcohol sales at universities each year.

Despite a push by the hospitality and alcohol industry, to-go alcohol sales were ended in 2023, largely driven by the fact that licensees were found to be selling to-go alcohol to minors 72% of the time.

Based on a study by Texans for Safe and Drug Free Youth, when alcohol was ordered for delivery or pickup, 70% of the time no ID was checked, and nearly 20% of the time, orders were left for pick-up or at doorsteps with no contact made at all.

Utah typically has one of the lowest rates of impaired driving fatalities in the nation. Changing the law to .05% BAC in Utah saved lives and motivated more drivers to take steps to avoid driving impaired.

A 2023 law out of the Vermont state legislature aimed to keep to-go cocktails on the menu of restaurants across the state. Restaurant owners claim that customers have grown accustomed to the option.

Virginia passed a law in 2023 to allow customers at malls to walk around with an open container of alcohol while they shop, creating an opportunity for excessive and underage drinking.

A Washington Bill aimed at reducing the legal BAC to .05 was defeated in the state Senate in 2023, despite swift, bipartisan support. This is the furthest any legislation related to lowering the state's legal BAC limit has made it in the state assembly.

Effective June 9, 2023, new legislation in the state allowed local municipalities to designate certain outdoor areas for consumption of alcoholic beverages during specific dates and times, similar to legislation in Virginia.

Wisconsin’s state government passed a 2023 bipartisan bill overhauling the state’s liquor laws and creating new regulations for venues hosting special events. These special event venues are required to limit the number of times they serve alcohol in a given year, or be forced to obtain a liquor license.

The Wyoming state legislature introduced a bill in 2023 to reduce the number of liquor licenses issued to bars and grills statewide. This will amend the current population formula over the next decade.