Alcohol Prohibition “Worked,” According To DEA Report, Released With Police Union Lob

[mugsy]

What sources are you citing? Some of that is true, but if you break it down to an individual crime and illness level, the stats are much more telling. Public intox went way down, so did hospitalization for alcohol addiction but binge drinking went WAY up and the hospitalizations and medical issues from such went up as well. Domestic violence went down also. But people DIED from bathtub gin and shine that was tainted with formaldehyde and such. The prison population went up because you had 30,000 instant criminals overnight and homicides in Chicago went WAY up due to the "beer wars". The VERY FIRST NIGHT prohibition went into effect, a beer shipment was hijacked and 4 people killed. The violence didn't let up until it was repealed and even then you had so many scofflaws who got their start in prohibition it lead to other criminal enterprises like drugs. Prohibition has too many different effects to paint it with a simple "it did" or "it didn't work".

I suppose if you were a gov't prohibition agent or a criminal it worked GREAT! The corrupt agents could get really rich, the few straight agents could wage their holy crusade. The criminals got rich and waged war on their rivals. I suppose the only loser in all this was the regular guy who wanted to have a cold beer when he got done at his job and had to risk getting thrown in jail during a raid, shot during a robbery, and had to pay three times the price of what he paid for a glass of beer in 1919.

The point I made in my first post was that the "bad" stuff, from an anti-prohibitionist point of view, is basically all that is spoken of or taught anywhere. There was an "up" side or at least some countervaling arguments. I acknowledged that prohibition had costs of many kinds but generally all we hear about is one side of the costs. I didn't render a final judgement.

 

[mugsy]

54% of what crimes? 42% of how many deaths? How many of those 66% would still be considered "insane" by modern standards? Again, 350% & 400% of how many? These are empty, meaningless statistics intended to sway those not capable of critical thinking. Alone, they do not make a strong case for criminalizing the civil rights of Americans.

Agreed - any stats need context and explanation. That's why I didn't quote any stats - my intent was to point out that despite the relentlessly negative opining about Prohibition there were some positives. How positive and at what cost is a matter for judgement - informed by facts - but still a judgement call. I am concerned that teaching on this section of history is relentlessly negative and should be balanced by discussion of what some at least would call the positive effects of prohibition.

 

[Hobbes]

Agreed - any stats need context and explanation. That's why I didn't quote any stats - my intent was to point out that despite the relentlessly negative opining about Prohibition there were some positives. How positive and at what cost is a matter for judgement - informed by facts - but still a judgement call. I am concerned that teaching on this section of history is relentlessly negative and should be balanced by discussion of what some at least would call the positive effects of prohibition.

Prohibition was obviously destructive enough that it was repealed by the 21st amendment.

Passing an amendment to the constitution is not an easy matter.
The fact that the 21st is the only amendment that repealed an earlier amendment should be a tell tale indicator that Americans recognized a dead end road when they saw one.

 

[shooterdave]

We need more private prisons.

Please explain... I can't wait to hear this!

 

[WTJ]

It was wildly popular with a large segment of the population, particularly those madcap social experimenters and all around do-gooders known as Progressives. The biggest negative impact it created is the fedgov hand in your pocket known as Income Tax. Gee, we still have it! What a great bunch of Do-Gooders are those Progressives.

I encourage everyone to watch Burns' documentary. Incredibly enlightening.

 

[AKguy1985]

Its all about the money.

 

[mugsy]

Prohibition was obviously destructive enough that it was repealed by the 21st amendment.

Passing an amendment to the constitution is not an easy matter.
The fact that the 21st is the only amendment that repealed an earlier amendment should be a tell tale indicator that Americans recognized a dead end road when they saw one.

The only thing that passage or repeal of legislation says is that is was more or less popular at a given time. It says nothing as to its inherent wisdom. Do you think that the amendment that allowed the Federal government to tax incomes was "wise" on the whole? Or that the direct election of Senators? Both are highly debatable - their popularity or intensity of support being irrelevant to the question.

 

[MLRyan]

Its all about the money.

I always use this example. Track a dollar from the taxpayer, to the DEA, and out into the economy. The War on Drugs is a multi billion dollar industry.

 

[reddog1]

Then the Government could make more jobs.

Then maybe I could get a job there, and act like Uncle JB would at his camps.

I would buy a megaphone, and an oversized pair of Fruit of the Looms, and stand infront of the mirror, fingering my belly button, and call myself Baby Huey!!!

 

[LightningCrash]

The US Government killed, by poisoning, somewhere around 10,000 people during Alcohol Prohibition

http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2010/02/the_chemists_war.html

I guess you can say it "worked".