It’s a shame that what should flow naturally from a concern for others has to be written into law. But that’s what we have with dram shop laws—laws that impose legal consequences to those who provide alcohol to someone who appears to be intoxicated. If that person injures another due to his intoxication, then the provider of the alcohol can be sued.

Nearly every state in the union has some type of dram shop law. By definition, a dram shop is any establishment that sells alcohol, as in a “dram of gin.” The term dram shop goes back to 18th century England, where establishments that sold alcohol dotted the landscape. Dram shop laws make businesses and individuals strictly liable if they sell or provide alcohol to someone who appears to be intoxicated.

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