Starting next year, buying alcohol in California will no longer be a passive affair.
Gov. Jerry Brown signed a law Sunday banning alcohol sales at automated checkout counters.
Starting Jan. 1, 2012, all alcohol sales in California must go through a human cashier. The thought is the measure will cut down illegal alcohol sales to underage buyers.
The measure has the full backing of Mothers Against Drunk Driving and by law enforcement groups.
But the bill has also come under criticism by some groups who say it is just a push by grocery workers' unions to protect their jobs.
