Vinmonopolet
 

So I was reading a story on Yahoo about a Lithuanian ban on alcohol sold at convenience stores (which coincided with a 45% drop in alcohol-related accidents) and how some Norwegian chain was protesting because they were abiding by the rules but not all companies were. And then I ran across a nugget that the company doesn't sell alcohol in Norway because the only place you can get liquor is a state run monopoly, Vinmonopolet (literally: "wine monopoly")

Vinmonopolet - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

That just struck me as odd, particularly since it was run by their equivalent of the health department. I suppose it makes sense, in a way, but that's a lot different than I'm used to seeing.

Do we have any Norwegian posters on the board, even?

SI

The only place you can get liquor in Pennsylvania is at a state run store.

Ditto for Oregon. BONUS: Most liquor stores close at 7pm and don't even open Sunday.

On the other hand, there's a bar every 100 feet, and 300 types of beer in every convenience store.

Virginia also has state run liquor stores, though you can buy wine and beer at convenience stores/supermarkets.

I did not know that. I had seen it in stores and I don't get it that often so I didn't feel the need to go find a state run store.

SI

New Hampshire's like that, but as an added bonus they put them within a mile of the state lines, particularly Massachusetts but also Maine. "Welcome to New Hampshire" signs right next to "Cigarettes, Liquor, Lottery" (and fireworks). In the 1970's Massachusetts started sending state troopers over the state line to try and collect taxes on the Massachusetts residents and the New Hampshire Governor Thomson arrested them. Bluer shades of granite - Boston.com (He was also the guy that proposed giving nuclear weapons to the National Guard, so maybe some of his ideas were a little over the top.)

It's the same in Sweden. Systembolaget is the only place you can buy alcoholic beverages in Sweden. Beer, wine, hard liquor, you name it. Only available from that chain of store. Our setup is identical to Norway's in that perspective.

you can buy anything in a ggrocery store in illinois.

Yeah, here in PA you can only buy liquor from state run stores and beer from a bar.

In Idaho, state run stores sell the liquor but you can buy beer from any convenience/grocery store.