Local option refers to the right of any political division, such as a city or state, to choose the conditions under which a law should apply in its own jurisdiction. In the United States, local option is often used to decide whether intoxicating liquors shall be sold and, if so, under what conditions. The privilege temporarily lost its force in the United States during the period of national prohibition (1917-1933). Today, a U.S. township, city, county, or state may again use local option to regulate the sale of liquor.