The liquor store is one of the special American institutions. State laws typically forbid the sale of alcoholic beverages (except for beer and wine) in standard supermarkets and general stores. Therefore, Americans have to go to special stores with state licence to buy whisky, gin, vodka, or any other drink with a high alcohol content. This restriction is probably a leftover from the 1930s, when Prohibition (the complete ban on the production and sale of all alcoholic drinks) was ended, but lawmakers wanted to limit access to alcohol. There are other legal limitations in force in many states and cities; for instance, it is illegal to open a bottle of alcohol on the street, and even when the bottle is closed, people may carry it only in paper bags (which is a sign that they have just bought it in a liquor store).