ABSTRACT
Few public policies in the United States have varied as much as policies toward alcohol. Our nation has left the alcohol industry to the free market, has extended government regulation over the market, has operated government monopolies at the state level, and has banned all or some alcoholic beverages. Historically alcohol policies give the analyst access to the greatest range of policies within a single arena. The objective of this chapter is to evaluate these policies and provide guidelines for other drug policy efforts.
