As well as this, an end to prohibition would eliminate the costs required to enforce it – an extra expenditure the government could not afford at this time. Economically, an end to prohibition would help strengthen the unstable situation in America: ending unproductive government spending as well as bringing new money into the system. Repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment would also meet social demands brought about by the crisis. Those facing hard times wanted to drink, and wanted an end to the law to allow them to do so more easily; thus the Great Depression added to the support for social groups already campaigning for its repeal. Both the economic and social effects of the Depression make it an important reason for the repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment, a concept supported by historian Joseph Gusfeld.
An article appearing in The Economist on smart drugs seems to insinuate that it is high time that the free use of these drugs is encouraged. The writer takes issue with the fact that many individuals take the view that, unapproved use of drugs is immoral and dangerous. In essence, the writer states that such thoughts can lead to prohibition of the drugs, which is wrong and futile. The futility of the action lies in the fact that smart drugs are easily accessible more so through the internet, he states. While this may be true, it is crucial to acknowledge that one of the reasons behind the high rates of drug abuse is the ease of availability (Simon 2005).
Was prohibition the key factor why US society in the 1920s was so divided (24 marks) Prohibition was a key factor in the social unrest in America, It had many social impacts. Due to the unpopularity of Prohibition and people still wanting to consume alcohol even though it was now illegal, many ‘mafia’ type gangs saw an opportunity to make a lot of money by bootlegging and illegally selling alcohol and although organized crime was already around by the time Prohibition was put in place there was a rapid rise in it once Prohibition became the law of the land. Speakeasy’s were opened, these were illegal bars and clubs in which people would go to consume alcohol, these could range from tiny backrooms to large buildings with entertainment such as dancers and musical acts, The alcohol was supplied by the local gangs - It in some ways glamourized organized crime, making the idea of Gangs seem cool and a good way to make money – but gangsters would bribe the local police and government officials into ignoring the many illegal clubs in the area, They would also use fear tactics into getting the club managers and owners into paying them “protection money” this would ensure that their club was “protected” from the gangs but if they refused to pay the gangs the money they would often find their clubs blown apart or themselves being gunned down. Al Capone was one of the most famous gangster who made a profits during Prohibition, it is estimated that he made $60 million from bootlegging alone, He took control of the whole Chicago liquor industry by killing off all the competition in the area, he had a good talent for avoiding jail. The St Valentine’s Day massacre is a good example of how extreme the organized crime became, on the 14th February 1929, two rival gangs, one led by Al Capone and the other led by Bugs Moran, 7 mob associates were killed out in broad daylight
In their eyes introducing prohibition could decrease the levels of prostitution, gambling and crime in the cities .The war provided prohibitionists with more ammunition to support their cause. They argued that as the government was calling for maximum agriculture production, so how could they justify the wasteful use of grains for beer and spirits? The prohibition lobby was also able to harness anti-German wartime hostility as the majority of brewers were of German origin, and that their trade organisation helped finance the National German-American Alliance which was a potent source for the Kaiser. Alcohol was also said to undermine military discipline and the virtue of young soldiers. Although world war one played a significant factor in giving ammunition to prohibitionists such as the patriotic feeling, and the fact that the government had begun to interfere
The concurrent protection provided takes the form of the absence of damage inflicted upon the store or its employees by the racket itself. Other types of rackets include bribery and illegal gambling. (www.u-s-history.com 2/22/13) Jobs were very hard to find and people needed to provide for their families, gangsterism was dangerous but provided an easy way to make money. When the American government passed the Eighteenth amendments outlawing
For example, a person commits the crime of selling drugs because he/she can make a lot of money without having to work hard to obtain an education and a career. During the liberal era (1960s and 1970s ) of the criminal justice system in which there were fewer police and lenient courts, the potential consequence of
Initiatives spring forth to attack the high crime rates caused by gangs. The decline of stable families is an obvious cause of gang popularity, along with urbanization and poverty, but those conditions and trends today are almost impossible to reverse. Mix in the allure and power of money from illegal drug sales, and the weapons used to survive in the illegal drug business, and the current disaster survives all initiatives to stop it. Public opinion, not science, drives reform. Some decades ago, the American public demanded a war on drugs, three-strikes legislation, mandatory minimum sentences, new criminal statutes and the abolition of parole in the federal system.
Cigarettes and alcohol are considered to be demerit goods because they are over provided by the markets, therefore, they are also over consumed by the people. The government believes that those goods are bad for the society and the people, therefore, the government tries to decrease the consuming of those demerit goods. Cigarettes and alcohol are inelastic demands. Their PED value is less than one but greater and zero. These two products will have a small change in the demand when the price is changed, which means that if the price is raised the demand of the product will not change drastically (fall by much in comparison).
Hitler would tell the country what they wanted to hear, one example was providing jobs as unemployment increased massively. He also became more popular after he led the campaign against the Young Plan; this reduced the reparations that they had to pay in 1929. All the actions that Hitler made boosted the electoral support for the Nazi party. To an even larger extent than the popularity of Hitler himself came the great depression in 1929 as a result of the Wall Street crash in the USA. The Nazi party took advantage of this in Germany, as the Weimar government weakened the Nazi party rose.
Non-violent crimes should just be a punishable fine because it saves money for the United States and the federal prisons in the United States. Non-violent crimes in America are rising rapidly and non-violent criminals are being sent to federal prisons or jails for a stupid reason. Like for an example many people are being arrested and sent to prison for selling drugs now how is this a violent crime? Drugs are illegal in America but it’s not really hurting our country right now. The main thing that is hurting our country right now is violence, when you read the news about Chicago they had more murders then the soldiers in Iraq due to gang violence.