Newton County residents won’t risk being ticketed for possession of alcohol beginning next year after Gov. Tate Reeves approved a bill Tuesday legalizing possessing alcohol statewide.
Previously, possessing alcohol was only legal in counties and municipalities that had voted to come out from under prohibition restrictions. Newton County was one of 29 Mississippi counties that had not passed such a measure, although the City of Newton is allowed to sell beer and light wine.
House Bill 1087 amends section 67-1-3 of the Mississippi Code of 1972 to remove restrictions from possessing alcohol in all Mississippi counties. The bill, however, makes an exception for possession with intent to sell, which remains illegal without the proper license. Alcohol sales in dry counties were not changed and will still be prohibited.
The bill is set to go into effect Jan. 1, 2021.
