Negative Effects Of Prohibition

Prohibition: Did it Work?

Prohibition is the time in the United States between 1920 and 1933 where “the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited.” (Archives). This is the 18th Amendment which was ratified on January 16, 1919. What many people do not understand is that some states and cities were already dry, or did not manufacture or produce alcohol, before the ratification of the 18th Amendment. For example, Chicago was dry in 1918 which was about 1 year before the 18th Amendment was ratified and 2 years before Prohibition went into effect. There were many negative side effects that came from Prohibition, such as and increase in violence and organized crime and that

However, these good things only lasted for a short time until people began to disobey the law. During Prohibition violent domestic crime was down along with arrests for drunkenness and brawling. There were fewer cases of alcohol related crime in general. The prison population dropped and the death rate from the result of alcoholism dropped also. There were also drops in cases of diseases such as cirrhosis and other alcohol related illnesses. Cash that was usually spent on liquor was used to spend on better things now. They spent money on more and better food which helped people become healthier and helped grocery stores get better business. Families also put more money into savings accounts. “Prohibition reduced alcohol consumption and alcohol related harm by 60% in the short term.” (Lessons of Prohibition) However these good things quickly went away as people began to find other ways to get their alcohol. These good things also disappeared as people’s respect for the law