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New Hampshire Says It Will Now Allow D.C. Residents To Buy Booze

Clearing up a technicality that had left visitors from Washington, D.C., unable to purchase alcohol in New Hampshire, the state's liquor board says it's now OK to accept D.C. licenses. Earlier this month, some Washington residents were told they couldn't buy alcohol because their IDs weren't from a state.

As The Concord Monitor reported, identification that can be used to buy alcohol in New Hampshire includes a state-issued license, a military ID, a passport — even licenses from Canada. But not those from the District of Columbia or from U.S. territories.

The New Hampshire agency clarified its rules Monday, noting that "it is understood that the District of Columbia is the capitol [sic] of the United States."

The story was highlighted by member station WAMU, which adds that this isn't the only Rodney Dangerfield moment to hit Washingtonians who venture out of their federal enclave:

"This isn't the first time this week that a D.C. license was singled out over concerns that it wasn't legitimate. According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, a D.C.-based reporter was stopped in Orlando's airport by a TSA officer who said that his D.C. driver's license wasn't valid for boarding a flight. After informing the officer of the city's status, he was allowed to proceed through security.

"Much the same happened in February, when another D.C. resident was stopped at a security checkpoint by an officer who said the city's driver's license was not valid. That incident prompted complaints to TSA from D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton."

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Bill Chappell is a writer and editor on the News Desk in the heart of NPR's newsroom in Washington, D.C.

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