VIDEO: Laws On Having Alcohol In Dry Counties

MONROE COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI)-Nearly half of the counties in Mississippi are considered dry counties, meaning alcohol and beer is prohibited.

“It’s against the law to have beer or whisky in a dry county transporting it throughout the county,” said Monroe County Sheriff Cecil Cantrell.

Monroe County is one of 34 counties in the state to have laws against possessing alcohol or beer.  When it comes to dry counties, Sheriff Cantrell said there’s zero tolerance for alcoholic beverages.

“If somebody stops you, actually and truly, they can ask you to pour that whisky or beer out, or they can write you a ticket for it and cost you up to $500 and even jail time,” he said.

But where the problem lies is, for many cities inside the dry counties, selling and being in possession of any alcoholic beverages is completely legal.

“What we try to do is, we try to use some common sense, because if you can buy beer on one street or one county road or whatever and it be legal we try to understand those things,” said Sheriff Cantrell.

Law enforcement said the biggest problem they run into is when someone buys beer in a wet city, then drives it back to their home, which is in the county.

The driver is then essentially breaking the law.

Sheriff Cantrell said if a driver is passing through a dry county and they’re in possession of an alcoholic beverage, most times, officers will ask the driver to pour out their drink, regardless if its been opened or not.

“A lot of people think we’ll they’re punishing them,” the sheriff explained. “No, they’re really helping them because they can write them a ticket and still take their whisky or beer to use in court and compensate it.”

And while it is against the law to transport alcohol inside the car when passing through a dry county, Sheriff Cantrell has this advice:

“What we suggest for people, if you’re going to drink, make sure you put your beer and whisky in your trunk and go home, but do not be drinking and driving,” he said.

Along with a fine, the sheriff said you can also spend anywhere from a week up to three months in the county jail for having beer or alcohol in a dry county.