Alcohol laws of Massachusetts
Wikimedia list article
The serving of alcohol in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is governed by the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission (ABCC), which is responsible for issuing licenses and permits for all manufacturers, wholesalers and importers, out-of-state suppliers, brokers, salespeople, warehouses, planes, trains, ships, ship chandlers and vehicles transporting alcoholic beverages.
Drinking age
Beginning just after the repeal of prohibition by the 21st Amendment on Dec. 5, 1933, the minimum drinking age in Massachusetts was set at age 17. Sometime between this date and April 13, 1973, the Massachusetts drinking age was raised to 21. Then, following the July 1, 1971 passage of the 26th Amendment (which lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 years of age), on April 13, 1972, governor Francis M. Sargent (following suit with 29 other governors) signed a bill lowering the Massachusetts drinking age from 21 to 18. The effective date of the new law was April 1, 1973. On February 16, 1979, the State Senate voted to raise the Massachusetts minimum drinking age from 18 to 20. The vote for final approval was 29 to 3. On December 4, 1984, governor Michael S. Dukakis signed a bill raising the drinking age from 20 to 21 in Massachusetts. This bill was in response to the National Minimum Drinking Age Act which would reduce federal highway funding by 10% for any state that did not adopt a drinking age of 21.
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