It seemed like such a good idea.
Pass a law and make alcohol illegal.
Yeah, that’s the ticket. Just make it illegal and everything will be great.
Right?
Well, not so fast. We forget what behaviors have been tried in history and fail to learn the lessons.
Prohibition, the experiment of the United States to ban the manufacture and sale of all alcohol, was in effect from 1920 through the beginning of 1932.
This weekend we watched the incredibly powerful and informative video series by Ken Burns and Lynn Nowick on Netflix. It is only 3 episodes long so it can be a short video binge watch for you this holiday if you’d like.
It is amazing to see what happens when government starts with good intentions but inevitably ends up with very bad results.
People saw the horrors of what happens when some get addicted to alcohol. The violence, harm to families, hard to others, and lost lives is nothing short of tragic. It was back when Prohibition was enacted and is today when people abuse alcohol or other substances.
Many people, including the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WTCU) saw the horrors of alcohol and thought that the best way to eradicate those results was to pass a Constitutional Amendment making it illegal to buy or sell alcohol. What they didn’t foresee were the hidden consequences of the law.
When it was finally repealed, with yet another US Constitutional Amendment, President Herbert Hoover said it was “A noble experiment.”
Really?
People were killed in fights over beer. Lives were ruined far more than through alcohol. And towards the end of Prohibition, there were actually more deaths from alcohol abuse than before it was enacted. When you make something illegal that people desire or wonder about, they often increase their use of that substance.
When will we ever learn?
I highly recommend you and those you love watch this 3-episode video on Netflix. It is very informative. Think about what is happening today and how well-meaning people still think that by just passing a law, even passing a new Constitutional Amendment, will solve the problem. Perhaps we can turn things around if we are brave enough and willing to do the hard work thinking through those unforeseen consequences.
Thank you for stopping by. I greatly appreciate you visiting.
Terry Brock
