What Happens When Consumers Ask for Change to Alcohol Shipping Laws

A Tennessee man is about to find out

One thing you’ll never see at Change.org is a petition asking lawmakers to rescind a state’s wine, beer, or sports shipping law. No one wants such laws rescinded, so you’ll never see such a thing on the petition-gathering website. However, you will see something like this at Change.Org:

“As a passionate whiskey connoisseur and collector in Tennessee, I face an ongoing challenge: limited selection. Many unique products are either only available hundreds of miles away or entirely out of reach. Like others who share my enthusiasm, I appreciate the complexity and diverse range of flavors that international and out-of-state spirits can offer. Unfortunately, our present laws prohibit direct shipment of spirits from out-of-state distributors, significantly limiting access and commercial exchange. Hence, the importance of this petition.”

This petition was started by Tony Crowder, a whiskey-loving Tennessean who has bumped up against his state’s protectionist laws that severely limited the products he is allowed to access legally. Will his Change.Org petition succeed in changing things?