Food stamps were first issued in 1939 as an assistance program to prevent starvation during the Great Depression. But 86 years later, thousands of liquor stores and smoke shops have become approved retailers, increasing the possibility of fraud, new research shows.
The longest ever government shutdown, which ended after 43 days of deadlock, thrust the federal food stamp program into the national spotlight as millions of recipients went without benefits. But, it also laid bare many abuses in the system.
https://tennesseestar.com/policy/food-stamp-data-show-thousands-of-liquor-smoke-shops-are-approved-for-ebt-raising-fraud-concerns/jtnews/2025/12/01/
