Alcohol laws of West Virginia are more complex on paper than in actual practice, owing to a provision of the state constitution and "work-arounds" of its terms.
[citation needed] Following World War II, there was a desire to provide for the sale of wine and liquor by the drink, particularly in the northern parts of the state.
[citation needed] Throughout the 1950s, however state voters regularly rejected constitutional amendments which provided for public consumption.
[citation needed] The Citizen's Committee for the Defeat of the Liquor Amendment, led by Methodist minister L.E.
Crowson, campaigned across the state and participated in public debates that were instrumental in keeping the amendment from passing.
[citation needed] The 1961 law was a part of a political deal whereby southern legislators agreed to these changes, and northern legislators withdrew their blocking of the renaming of Marshall College, which had been accredited as a "university" since 1937 and which is located in southern West Virginia, to Marshall University.
[citation needed] The Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, simply adds a $10 "alcohol membership fee" to the bill of all first time patrons.
[citation needed] The WV Beer Wholesalers Association were initially opposed to the change in the law stating that it would cause higher rates of underage drinking and DUI's.
[citation needed] Huntington also benefits from neighboring Lawrence County, Ohio, having several dry townships.