Prohibition was something that a lot of us have wanted for a while. To stop the scourge of alcohol and all the problems that it brings with it! And finally, we got it passed! But things aren’t really going as we had all planned, unfortunately. Sure, lots of factories and stores are changing their ways from selling alcohol to selling other things –and even some bartenders are following loyally and no longer serving alcoholic beverages!- but right away, there were problems. Lots of illegal use has just sprung up from the ground, secret meeting places in the back of barber shops, books that were hollowed to hold liquor, the possibilities are endless! Another problem that surfaced recently was that some people have realized that it is possible for your doctor to prescribe whiskey, and lots of people are taking advantage of this right now, going to their doctors and faking the symptoms that require whiskey as a ‘cure’, and doctors are freely giving out these prescriptions! Local organized crime forces are also taking advantage of this! Mafias are getting their hands on abundances of alcohol and selling them for profit. In fact, one of the biggest suppliers of alcohol is actually those same mafias right now! “But how do common Americans get their hands on the booze?” you ask? Well the most common places men can secretly go and drink right now are places such as open saloons, speakeasys, restaurants, and even simple places like local delicatessens! Open saloons were bars unknown to the police where liquor was sold in secret, and Speakeasys are basically fun jazz clubs where men AND women go to have fun and drink, whereas the saloons and bars are places mainly for men. Women are the focus of alcohol in very few ways, even in the posters that were supporting the prohibition of alcohol in the first place. The only mentioning of them was that their husbands need to be stopped so that the wives and children can be safe and happy. Whether or not women are drinking as much as men right now is significantly unlikely because the social norm put on women right now is to be ladylike and very good about manners, and heavy drinking doesn’t go along with manners too well in the end. Wine was the one drink that was considered okay by the law in limited amounts because it was used for church communion and such, but the wine production has been severely cut down during the beginning of prohibition because wineries that grew grapes were forced to close, but very quickly the farmers have realized their mistakes as the demand for grapes has skyrocketed, and the price has risen from 20$ a ton to 200$ a ton! After this took effect, our farmers got greedy and planted huge crops of grapes, which in the end caused an overstock, and the price is all the way down at 15$ a ton now. So in the end, prohibition has been squashed as everyone has started to realize how many problems it has caused. Lots of people still wish that it could be in effect and better-enforced, but those efforts were already made. Police funding was raised 11$ million during prohibition, and evidently, alcohol is a force to be reckoned with, and is nearly impossible to stop.
By: Jared Carbone
The History Behind Prohibition
In 1919, the manufacturing transportation, and sale of alcohol, was made legal. Many woman, noteably the Women's Christian Temperance Union, had ben pivotal in bringing about national prohibition in the United States of America, believing it would protect families, women and children from the effects of abuse of alcohol. The 18th Amendment went into effect on January 16, 1920. Even though the sale of alcohol was illegal, alcoholic drinks were still widely available at "speakeasies" and other underground drinking establishments. Many people also kept private barts to serve their guests. Large quantities of alcohol were smuggled in from Canada, overland and via the Great Lakes. There was a fat loophole in the 18th Amendment, though. It stated that boats outside of the three mile limit were exempt. So you had a lot of drunk boaters out there and that's not good. Alcohol was prescribed medically and doctors filled prescriptions without any thought. This system was very much Abused.
By: Shane Dahlson
