Home is your own space and it allows us to do whatever we want. One can grow fruits and vegetables in their garden or work on their inventions in a garage. However, when it comes to making your own home-distilled spirits, we soon realize that it is not allowed as per law. Making your own whiskey has even got a bad name, known as making moonshine.
Rules may vary from state to state, but making moonshine is mostly illegal as per federal laws. Some relaxations may be available in specific states. For example, people in Missouri are allowed to make up to 100 gallons of moonshine per year. No license is required for this. But the bigger question remains, as to why making moonshine is illegal. To understand that, here are some important things to know.
Loss in government revenue - Sales of spirits is a major source of revenue for the government. If people start making moonshine in their homes, it will result in a major loss of taxes for the government. The law to ban making moonshine is part of the 1862 Revenue Act. Since that time, the government has been earning huge sums of revenue through liquor sales.
Risk of toxicity - Making spirits is not rocket science. But it has to be done in a controlled environment with proper checks at the laboratory. In a home environment, it is likely that many people will ignore the safeguards. They may not have the resources to make spirits in a safe manner. As such, the resultant moonshine may have impurities or toxic compounds. These may be dangerous to anyone who may consume it. This is another reason why making moonshine is illegal.
Risk of fire and explosion - Home-brewed spirits usually have high concentrations of alcohol. As such, it poses a significant risk of fire and explosion. It is apparent that industrial scale safety measures cannot be deployed in a home environment. In case a fire or explosion occurs, it can endanger the lives of family members and even the neighbors. Due to such risks, making moonshine has been declared illegal.
High probability of substance abuse - Even when there is a ban on making moonshine, thousands of people are in the grip of substance abuse. Now consider a situation when people are allowed to make spirits at home. It can lead to an even higher number of people getting impacted by substance abuse. Home-brewed spirits will be a lot cheaper, which will prompt higher and more frequent consumption. Addiction to alcohol in large numbers is not a good development for society. Due to this reason, making moonshine has been banned.
It is to note that moonshine equipment may still be available for purchase, despite the ban on moonshine. That is because the moonshine equipment is a general equipment used for other products as well. For example, to make distilled water, perfumes and other similar liquids. That is why sellers are unlikely to be summoned for selling moonshine equipment. But if you make moonshine, you are likely to be doing an illegal thing.
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