Mississippi Moves A Step Further Away From Prohibition

Just in time for a holiday weekend, Mississippi officially ended prohibition within the state — almost 90 years after the law was ended nationwide by the Constitution.

Gov. Tate Reeves signed a bill Tuesday decreeing "prohibition is renounced." The bill is ending the state's temperance designation and legalizing the possession of alcohol statewide.

Here's what that means. While the state originally repealed its prohibition in 1966, the state was still classified as a "dry" state. Individual counties had to decide whether they wanted to allow alcohol. The new law will switch that default designation to wet, making all counties alcohol-friendly.

However, if those counties wish to continue to be dry, they will have to hold elections on whether to continue the prohibition of alcohol — which 29 counties out of 82 still follow.

Mississippi's official wet state designation will go into effect in the beginning of next year.