Alcohol laws of Missouri
Nation entered a bar in Kansas City in April 1901 and began to smash liquor bottles with her hatchet, she was promptly arrested and fined $500 ($17,844 in 2023 dollars[6]), which her judge stayed as long as she agreed to leave Missouri and never return.
[7] The Missouri General Assembly did ratify the 18th Amendment in 1919, but only after it already had received enough previous ratifications to become part of the Constitution.
[8] Kansas City's federal prosecutor, who was on Pendergast's payroll, never brought a single felony prosecution under the Volstead Act.
"[9] An 1857 Missouri statute left all liquor regulation to localities, including the question whether to go dry, except the collection of licensing fees.
[14] Missouri's original 1934 Liquor Control Law prohibited Sunday sales of beverages with more than 5% alcohol by volume, but this restriction was lifted entirely in 1975.
[15] For 2013, the annual "Freedom in the 50 States" study prepared by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University ranked Missouri third in the nation in alcohol freedom, noting Missouri's "alcohol regime is one of the least restrictive in the United States, with no blue laws and taxes well below average.
As long as it is not located within 100 feet (30 m) of a school or church,[20] virtually any retail business (including a vague and undefined "general merchandise store") which obtains the proper licenses from the Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control and local authorities may sell any type of alcohol.
[21] State law even forbids a local option and prohibits cities and counties from banning the off-premises sale of alcohol.
[22] Missouri does, however, limit the hours of retail alcohol sales to between 1:30 AM and 6:30 AM Monday through Saturday,[23] and – for an additional license fee – between 1:30 AM and 6:30 AM on Sunday (beginning August 28, 2021).
[31] Additionally, for such shipments, the commercial carrier must be generally licensed to do business by the Department of Economic Development.
[37][38] Since 1999, the Missouri General Assembly has considered several bills which would have created open container regimens satisfying the federal law, but each one "failed due to weak legislative support.
"[40] It is a misdemeanor in Missouri, however, to be both intoxicated and disorderly or to consume or offer any alcoholic beverage specifically in any school, church, or courthouse.
[41] Consumption and offering in courthouses is permitted, though, at social functions after business hours when authorized by the court.
[52] Refusal to take a chemical test (i.e. breathalyzer) when so requested by a law enforcement officer who has probable cause will result in a one-year suspension of the suspect's driver's license.
Thus, when the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 came into effect on January 1, 1985, Missouri was in no danger of losing federal highway funds.
[54] Missouri is one of six states, however, with a unique exception which allows a minor to be furnished alcohol by their parent or guardian.
Rather, this sort of law allows parents to let their children have a small amount of liquor with a meal, at social gatherings, in religious services, or otherwise use alcohol in moderation.
In 2005, though, the Missouri General Assembly amended the Liquor Control Law to prohibit any minor from having a blood alcohol level higher than .02%.
[55] In Missouri, it is only a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $500 fine for a person under 21 to represent by virtue of displaying a fake ID that they are over 21 for the purposes of purchasing or possessing alcohol.
