For United States Postal Service (USPS) home delivery, a six-pack of Syrah is as forbidden as a handgun. But Senator Jeff Merkley from Oregon recently introduced the USPS Shipping Equity Act to change that (the wine delivery, not the guns).
Dating back to Prohibition, Title 18 of the U.S. Code has prohibited the USPS from delivering wine, beer or liquor. However, private shipping companies like FedEx and UPS can ship alcohol to your home. Hence the word “equity” in the bill’s title.
If passed, the USPS Shipping Equity Act will clear the way for mail carriers to deliver alcoholic beverages directly from licensed producers and retailers to consumers of legal age in compliance with state and local shipping regulations. The idea is that by allowing easier and less expensive direct-to-consumer shipping, distillers and wine producers will be able to avoid the constraints of middle-men distributors who don’t typically stock all of their products and take a cut from sales as well as reach customers who live in areas that are not serviced by private carriers.
Merkley’s bill is co-sponsored by Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Peter Welch (D-VT) and Patty Murray (D-WA). Representatives Dan Newhouse (R-WA) and Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) introduced similar legislation in the House of Representatives.
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This Article was originally published on Wine Enthusiast
