Alcohol Law and Policy Short Course

1 credits · Law School

This short course studies the legal and regulatory frameworks governing the production, distribution, and sale of alcoholic beverages in the United States, an area defined by the intersection of constitutional law, federal authority, and highly decentralized state regulatory systems. Since the repeal of Prohibition, alcohol regulation has evolved into a complex system shaped by the Twenty-First Amendment, the Commerce Clause, and an extensive body of federal and state law. Today, lawyers advising in this space must navigate a fragmented regulatory landscape that directly impacts business formation, market entry, distribution strategy, and compliance risk. This course provides a practical, applied introduction to alcohol law and policy. Students will examine the constitutional foundations of alcohol regulation, the structure and authority of federal agencies such as the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), and the wide variation in state-level regulatory regimes. Through case analysis, statutory interpretation, and real-world hypotheticals, students will evaluate key issues including tied-house restrictions, labeling and advertising compliance, distributor franchise law, taxation, and emerging regulatory challenges such as direct-to-consumer shipping and hemp-derived intoxicants. The course emphasizes applied legal reasoning and regulatory problem-solving in a highly structured and evolving legal environment. Pass/Fail. [1]