Absinthe

Absinthe was banned in the United States in 1912 and became legal again in 2007. Today it can be sold in the US, but only if it is “thujone-free” under federal rules and its label follows strict guidelines.

Key facts

• Status: ban lifted; legal with limits
• Banned: 1912
• Legal again: 2007
• Limit: less than 10 parts per million of thujone

Why was absinthe banned in the US?

In the early 1900s absinthe was blamed for madness, violence and hallucinations. The suspect was thujone, a compound in the wormwood plant used to make the drink, after experiments in which large doses of wormwood oil caused seizures in animals. Switzerland and several European countries banned absinthe in the same period, and the US followed in 1912. The ban outlasted Prohibition, which ended in 1933.

Why did the US make absinthe legal again?

Later testing showed that properly distilled absinthe contains only tiny amounts of thujone, far too little to cause the effects it was blamed for. Absinthe makers, including the creator of Lucid Absinthe, showed that their products fell under the federal limit for “thujone-free”, which is less than 10 parts per million. On 5 March 2007 Lucid became the first absinthe approved for sale in the US since 1912, and later that year the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) issued guidance for labelling absinthe.

Is absinthe legal in the US today?

Yes, with rules. The word “absinthe” cannot be the brand name or stand alone on the label, and artwork cannot suggest hallucinogenic or mind-altering effects. US Customs and Border Protection can seize bottles that break these rules, so travellers bringing absinthe home from Europe should check the label first.

Absinthe is one of the few US food and drink bans that ended. Others still stand, such as the 1971 rule behind traditional haggis. See more on the USA bans page.