This article is about counties in the U.S. that prohibit alcoholic beverage sales. For the Bon Jovi song, see Dry County (song) . For the song by The B-52's , see Cosmic Thing Map showing dry (red), wet (blue), and moist (yellow) counties in the United States A dry county is a county in the United States whose government forbids the sale of any kind of alcoholic beverages. Some prohibit off-premises sale, some prohibit on-premises sale, and some prohibit both. Dozens of dry counties exist across the United States, a majority of them in the South. A number of smaller jurisdictions also exist, such as cities, towns, and townships, which prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages. These are known as dry cities, dry towns, or dry townships. Dry jurisdictions can be contrasted with "wet" (minimal alcohol prohibitions) and "moist" (fewer prohibitions than "dry" but more than "wet"). Contents

Background Edit

Prevalence Edit

Traveling to purchase alcohol Edit

A study in Kentucky suggested that residents of dry counties have to drive farther from their homes to consume alcohol, thus increasing impaired driving exposure,[10] although it found that a similar proportion of crashes in wet and dry counties are alcohol-related. A study in Arkansas noted that wet and dry counties are often adjacent and that alcohol beverage sales outlets are often located immediately across county or even on state lines.[11] Other researchers have pointed to the same phenomenon. Winn and Giacopassi observed that residents of wet counties most likely have "shorter distances (to travel) between home and drinking establishments."[12] From their study, Schulte and colleagues postulate that "it may be counter productive in that individuals are driving farther under the influence of alcohol, thus, increasing their exposure to crashes in dry counties."[13] Data from the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) showed that in Texas, the fatality rate in alcohol-related accidents in dry counties was 6.8 per 10,000 people over a five-year period. That was three times the rate in wet counties: 1.9 per 10,000. [14] [15]

Tax revenue Edit

Another issue a dry city or county may face is the loss of tax revenue because drinkers are willing to drive across city, county or even state lines to obtain alcohol. Counties in Texas have experienced this problem, which led to some of its residents to vote towards going wet to see their towns come back to life commercially. Although the idea of bringing more revenue and possibly new jobs to a town may be appealing from an economic standpoint, religious opposition is still present.[16]

Crime Edit

One study finds that the shift from bans on alcohol to legalization causes an increase in crime.[17] The study finds that "a 10% increase in drinking establishments is associated with a 3 to 5% increase in violent crime. The estimated relationship between drinking establishments and property crime is also positive, although smaller in magnitude."[17]

In popular culture Edit

See also Edit