…if it is a time-bound prohibition, maybe in the order of a few weeks, so society can rethink about their consumption habits.
Indefinite prohibition, of the kind that was amended in the US constitution, denies the human desire to consume alcohol and pretend it can be legislated away. A cursory reading of the Wikipedia article on the capital-P Prohibition showed lasting effects in alcohol consumption (I guess, good in the sense that there’s changes in domestic abuse patterns, for example?) and organized crime (bad, with Al Capone and people like him)
Eh? I don’t think it is well taught how bad alcoholism was in the English speaking world at the turn of the century. It was relatively common for men to drink away their wages, leaving their families poor. Alcohol also increased the likelihood of domestic violence, something which was somewhat socially acceptable.
Now, the outright ban obviously had nasty side effects including the creation of organized crime. However, I could see the argument that increased regulation and restriction in availability was justified.
After all, they had to ban buying gin by the pint.
It comes in pints?
If you think it isnt still common for people to drink away all of their family’s meager wealth I encourage you to find a local AA chapter, call up to ask for permission, then to come and listen in quiet support.
I’m not saying it isn’t possible today. What I’m saying is that it was far more common back before Prohibition.
Correct. There was no real regulation, except for booze taxes, which some druggist/soda stands circumvented because they were using alcohol for medicinal purposes. But the number of saloons/taverns decreased thanks to prohibition and never rebounded, as did the amount of alcohol consumed by Americans per capita.
Incorrect. “Never rebounded” on alcohol consumption is flat out wrong. It rose back up over the years and surpassed pre-Prohibition alcohol consumption levels during COVID.
https://apnews.com/article/public-health-health-statistics-health-us-news-ap-top-news-f1f81ade0748410aaeb6eeab7a772bf7
Alcoholism is an on-going issue, yes, but its also generally agreed that the amount of alcohol consumed per capita did decrease thanks to prohibition and remained lower post-prohibition.
Wasn’t an outright ban though. You were still allowed to brew your own beer and wine and consume it on your own property. You could do so till you were piss-drunk. Prohibition was primarily about shutting down saloons/taverns, reducing the wage loss and abuse by alcoholics and making hard liquor more difficult to obtain, which some could still do as long as it was medicinal.