The national hangover is not on New Year’s Day after a night of big-time partying; it occurred after Dec. 5, 1933, when “the noble experiment” – prohibition of the commercial sale of alcoholic beverages – ended after 13 years. The estimated cost of enforcing Prohibition and the loss of tax revenue was huge – during those years, Americans spent $36 billion on bootleg and smuggled booze.

The end result of the repeal of Prohibition was the institutionalization of organized crime, and some very strange liquor laws. At that time, many Americans still thought Prohibition was a good idea. Even now, there is a strong neo-Prohibitionist movement in the country. We all know that drinking is a sin for the unenlightened…

There has always been a culture clash between the original Puritan immigrants, who are horrified by alcohol, and people from Mediterranean cultures who consider wine a healthy part of their daily diet.

In a democracy, many laws are weighted heavily in favor of the majority, and minority cultures get the short end of the stick. When you add religious self-righteousness and government greed to the mix, you have the state liquor laws. These laws have always been controlled at the state level, and they vary so much between states that it’s a positively feudalistic system.

Many states prohibit shipping wine into or out of the state. In some states, like Florida, it is even a felony punishable by imprisonment. But shipping wine from California’s Napa Valley to Portland, Ore., is perfectly legal. And if you want to buy a six-pack of beer in Pennsylvania, a couple of bottles of champagne and a fifth of cognac, you’d have to go to three separate stores.

Liquor sales in grocery stores are important. They are so profitable that they help reduce the cost of meats, produce and other general items. People affected by liquor-control laws pay more for groceries.

God help you if you want to buy a bottle of tequila on Super Bowl Sunday. Many states, like Oregon and Washington, prohibit the sale of liquor on Sundays – they don’t want their citizens drinking bloody Marys with their omelet on Sunday, they want them sober and sitting in a pew listening to the minister.

Some states, like Texas, have blue laws in some counties, where you cannot purchase any alcoholic beverages within the entire county. Right across the county line, consequently, are massive liquor stores. What is the point?

If you like fine wine and spirits, the last place you want to live is Utah. The state laws are heavily influenced by the Mormon religion, a religion that allows polygamy but prohibits the consumption of alcoholic and caffeinated beverages. The wine selection in Utah is appalling and expensive because the state is neo-Prohibitionist. If you want a rum and Coke before dinner at a restaurant in Utah, you have to buy a miniature rum bottle and then pay the bartender to mix it for you.

In just a few years, 2008 to be exact, the U.S. will be the largest consumer of wine in the world, according to some projections. Are our liquor laws going to keep pace with this increased consumption? I don’t think so. We are still hung over from Prohibition. Liquor laws favor certain religions and then punish people economically or socially if they decide to drink.

And with medical study after medical study proving the health benefits of moderate wine consumption, various state liquor laws are doing a disservice to their citizens. Because of the neo-Prohibitionist lobby, the political unpopularity of changing liquor laws and the incredible greed of state governments, wine consumers are losing out.

The model for modern liquor laws should be California’s: friendly. State governments should get out of purchasing and selling liquor, wines and beer. These items should be taxed like any other – there shouldn’t be a “sin tax.” All states should allow shipments from wineries to consumers, no matter where they live in the United States. And finally, state governments should respect those who enjoy drinking wine and spirits responsibly.