Alcohol Prohibition Failures

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The United States Alcohol Prohibition, lasting from 1920 to 1933, was a social experiment intended to mandate sobriety and outlaw the production, trafficking, and consumption of alcohol. Introduced into a cultural climate highly dependent upon the consumption of alcohol, Prohibition is undisputedly the most radical societal-reform effort ever attempted by the U.S. government. It comes without surprise that resistance to the Prohibition was exceedingly prevalent during its era and in many ways defined the culture of its generation. Prohibition ultimately failed in serving its intended purpose, due to widespread dissention and a lack of funding that could sustain the enforcement of such a disputed law. Though Prohibition was supposed to improve…show more content…
In fact, alcohol consumption reached an all time high during the Prohibition. Between the years 1919 and 1922 there was a small decrease in consumption, but by 1925 arrests for public drunkenness and other alcohol related offenses surpassed those of Pre-prohibition records. It is hard to quantify just how much alcoholism worsened during the Prohibition, but it is evident that it engendered a culture of defiance that was increasingly geared around the consumption of alcohol. Because alcohol that was consumed during the time was not industrially distilled, there were many more health risks involved in its consumption that there had been prior to Prohibition. There were two main ways alcohol was illegally distilled: from “scratch” or by distilling denatured industrial alcohol. From scratch involved relatively few health risks because it mimicked the traditional distilling practice of mixing yeast, corn sugar, and water. However, alcohol made from denatured industrial alcohol, intended for manufacturing items such as antifreeze, camera film, and synthetic fabrics, could be deadly if improperly distilled. Most forms of denatured alcohol were poisonous by design, infused with toxic elements so that they could no be consumed. However, bootleggers were undeterred and were able to remove the toxins by redistilling the alcohol—most of the time. Such toxins often made people die, go blind, or suffer other permanent disabilities such as paralysis. One of the most deadly alcoholic spirits widely consumed during prohibition was Jamaica Ginger, otherwise known as “Jake.” Although originally prescribed in small amounts to cure stomach ailments, its 80 percent alcohol content made it a popular choice among the poor who could not afford more expensive forms of alcohol available at the time. Often mixed into a milkshake or glass of ginger

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