Hands off my moonshine!

For something on the light side this morning, here’s a short video from Reason.TV arguing that outdated laws against amateur distilling (i.e., “making moonshine”) should be repealed, using analogies to craft brewing of beer by home brewers and micropubs:

As a general principle, I have no problem with decriminalizing home distilling, as long as basic health and safety standards are met. (None of this cooked-in-an-old-radiator stuff.) If we can do that for beer, why not homemade brandy … or tomato hootch?

PS: Before anyone brings up the contentious question of marijuana legalization, I’ll confess right now that I’m agnostic. I really don’t know if it’s no more harmful than alcohol, or if it’s too dangerous to allow. All I know is that the stink clings to the curtains.