There's interesting history here on the development of the government liquor monopoly in Canada around the same time as the U.S. enacted Prohibition.

In the U.S., of course, the constitutional amendment ending prohibition gave power to the states to control alcohol sales within their own borders (possibly a consolation prize to the "Drys"), leading to the strange patchwork of laws across the country today, from virtually "anything goes" to "dry counties" within, say, Alabama.

Costco has successfully (to date AFAIK) mounted a legal challenge in Washington State (and I believe some other states) to remove the requirement that all beer and wine for retail sale must be purchased from an in-state wholesaler.

Like the Canadian liquor-clerk unions, the Washington Beer & Wine Wholesalers Association does not approve of this turn of events and is predicting dire consequences for the consumer.

Man, all this research is making me thirsty.

Cheers,
Fredd