Since the time it was legislated thirty years ago, the Nagaland Liquor Total Prohibition Act, 1989 hasn’t exactly been a success story of making society liquor-free and instead, over the decades there has been proliferation of illegal liquor retail outlets and black market. In addition, the demand being as worrisome, has also opened windows of opportunities to illegal distillation of fake branded liquor destined for the parched throats in Nagaland and Manipur. The liquor business in Nagaland today runs into several hundred crore a year as indicated and that shows consumption has not decreased .The black market in illegal liquor business is estimated to run into several hundred crore a year. No wonder, the illegal production, distribution and sale has attracted shades of dubious elements who have established their own liquor empires. To cater to the demand, several distilleries have come up in nearby Assam manufacturing liquor “for sale and distribution to Nagaland etc”. Along with it is the production and distribution of dangerous spurious and hazardous liquor. This has caused early and untimely deaths of many teenagers and youths in the mid-life. According to media reports emanating from Assam, three states- Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur are dry- but liquor is sold at higher prices. The report stated that liquor continues to go to these three states from Arunachal Pradesh via Assam, often in the name of supply for defence canteens. The smuggled liquor from Arunachal Pradesh enters Nagaland via Assam through Golaghat and Karbi Anglong districts. Khatkhati, Lahorijan, Chungajan etc. are major routes to Nagaland.The distilleries in Arunachal Pradesh are doing a roaring business. There are allegations that Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur-bound liquor-laden trucks from warehouses in Arunachal Pradesh mostly have papers shown as supplies for defence canteens in the three States. However, in most of the cases, such consignments are dropped in Assam.The media report stated that requests to the Nagaland Excise Department to specifically mention as to what quantity of liquor actually enters the State for supply to defence canteens hasn’t been responded satisfactorily. The money from distribution and sale of illegal liquor in the three states generates a few thousand rupees of black money every year. That much money through illegal business should open the eyes of societies as it is being funnelled to fund various activities among which is funding elections. It is an open secret that liquor is easily available in many parts of the state. Recently an organisation had demanded that the authorities conduct raids on cold drink shops that sell liquor behind the counter and cancel their trade licenses. Nagaland and other states where prohibition is in force, have to contend with losing substantial revenues in terms of crores of rupees by way of enforcement and on the other hand, forego loss of excise revenue in terms of a few hundred crore rupees annually. The proponents may have their reason for the dry law but they need to seriously ask whether it should continue even for namesake because everybody abdicates themselves of any responsibility and instead, insisting that the government is alone responsible to do the job? Enforcing the dry law is difficult and if it is to be done effectively then it will require more than money and manpower but also proactive participation of civil society organisations.