Prohibition of Alcohol?

Question

I'm looking for some good answers that would typically, in a classroom, lead into a discussion on the topic. Why did it increase crime and gangs? What would happen if the law was passed again today? How does the era relate to the selling of illegal drugs today?........i'm hoping these would lead into a discussion in my class, i'm just looking for some answers on here. Thanks for your input!

Answer 1

Prohibition has a bad reputation. First, it decreased alcohol consumption by only 50%. It did not have the support of the population. The next time around, prohibition should not be shoved on an unwilling population. That is a good lesson.

That being said, Prohibition was a great period. It was associated with a very prosperous period. Alcohol causes half the crime, and half the suicides, half of domestic disputes, half of everything that is bad. In those days, alcohol brain damage was the primary cause of mental hospitalization. Alcohol damages all the organs of the body. So, cut alcohol intake in half, and that is an easy way to reduce all of those burdens.

It increased crime only in the alcohol smuggling business. The gangs murdered each other in turf disputes. Bystanders got shot up, and public outrage exploded into the press. So, the reputation for causing crime came from the paper. Crime decreased in the overall statistics.

Today, we legalize the deadliest of addictive substances, cigarettes, and alcohol. We criminalize less deadly substances. The hypocrisy undermines respect for the law.

I would oppose any loosening of availability of addictive substances. I would support the very slow squeezing of the availability of the legal toxins, until almost no one uses them.
That would save millions of lives, and drastically cut all our problems.

Answer 2

Alcohol was and is very very popular and excepted. Its root going back to the times of no clean water to drink. Beer and wine were used instead of or mixed with water. life was hard hard hard and many kept a buzz to cheer up. Drugs never became that embedded into society.
Make it illegal and it goes underground. Go underground you need protection, it all produces cash. Cash attracts criminals yada yada yada. The history of the 1920's is well documented.
Even the most famous crime fighter of the day was an alcoholic. Yes, Elliott Ness. He became the Chairman of Diebold Safe and Lock (now Diebold). He was notorious as a drinker and a bad executive. He almost put them out of business for not retooling to civilian use of the factories after WWII quick enough. In 1949 he hired the man that would put them on track to become an electronics giant and king of ATM's they are now, Mr Raymond Koontz.
They also designed the safes that the US Constitution and Declaration of Independence are stored in. Hope Diamond is also secured by a special Diebold safe at the Smithsonian.

Answer 3

The way i see it, is that our gangs who deal things such as marijuana and other non deadly drugs are like the old mafia who ran alcohol. The law wouldn't pass today, but i find it ironic how now that liquor is legal the mafia is glamorized and idolized..;they are not considered as bad as they where during Prohibition, our gang members who deal the harmless drug known as marijuana will be viewed the same way when the law is revised. But you must realize that most drug dealers are not gang members. And when the crime rate rised what kinda crimes where the newly most committed ones? alcohol related maybe? If we made something like wearing white t shirts illegal of course the crime rate is gonna rise for a while...if you take away something everyone likes people are not gonna stop tell they face consequences.

streetlife.myfastforum.org

Answer 4

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prohibition_in_the_United_States