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Legalizing Drugs In Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather

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Everyone is trying to gain some sort of advantage over another person. People love money. It is a simple as that. When a highly profitable resource arises out of the blue, every money hungry person is trying to exploit that resource. Illegal drugs are that resource. However, not everyone will try to exploit this resource because it is illegal and the distribution of this drug is extremely dangerous. For the manufacturing, transportation, selling, use or possession of drugs, one can be severely punished. Even with this high risk, people will distribute illegal drugs because it is extremely profitable. As, in a scene in Francis Ford Coppola’s, the Godfather, there is a business negotiation on the terms of distributing drugs to poor neighborhoods …show more content…

The ratification of the 18th amendment banned the manufacturing, transportation, and sale of alcohol. This amendment was passed because people deemed that alcohol was a “destructive force in families and marriages” (History.com Staff). Also, factory owners supported prohibition because it made their workers more efficient and capable of working longer hours. In 1917, the United States entered WWI. President Woodrow Wilson enacted a temporary prohibition ban to save grain for producing food. In 1919, Congress ratified the 18th amendment, a national prohibition of alcohol. This amendment not only decreased the alcohol consumption, but it gave rise to illegal manufacturing and selling of alcohol. The 18th amendment gave opportunities for gangs all across America to rise up, and conduct illegal operations for the smuggling and selling of alcohol (History.com Staff). By the end of the 1920’s the support of prohibition had died down. After the election of Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR), the 21st amendment was ratified which repealed the 18th amendment. However, this did not get rid of the gangs which instead of smuggling alcohol, smuggled in illegal drugs and weapons. Instead of drinking alcohol people started using illegal substances. This created a demand for drugs which grew

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