The Prohibition Movement In The 1920's

"Prohibition goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man's appetite by legislation and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes. A prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded (Abraham Lincoln).” The “War on Drugs” was declared by United States president Richard Nixon in June 1971. According to Nixon, drug abuse was “public enemy number one in the United States, so in an attempt to combat it, he increased funding to new federal drug control agencies. Over the years, the war on drugs has gotten out of hand. Billions are spent each year on and foreign military intervention and an oversized prison population. The war on drugs is not just very costly, it’s also very ineffective at decreasing the rate of drug abuse. The war on drugs must be put to an end and a new approach must be taken at regulating them if people really want to combat their abuse.

Making alcohol illegal did not make people's desire for it go away, instead it made people turn to the black market and organized crime to suit their demand. The Volstead Act, passed in 1920, sought to enforce prohibition. Money spent on police increased by more than 11.4% and more than 102% more people were arrested for alcohol related crimes. Despite heavy law enforcement, crime increased by 24% in 30 major cities between 1920 and 1921, arrests for drunkenness increased by 41%, and drinking and driving increased by 81% (Mark Thornton, Alcohol Prohibition was a Failure). Crime, corruption, and violence increased as a result of prohibition, so in 1933 the twenty-first amendment was passed lifting the ban on alcohol and returning crime rates to normal. The same thing can be seen happening today. People still continue abusing drugs despite an increase in drug enforcement and an increase in the number of people going to jail for drug related