Did the 1920’s American Alcohol Prohibition Work?
Some claim:
- Work productivity increased enormously.
- Alcohol-related illnesses dropped sharply.
- And even though gangster activity accelerated, many forms of alcohol-connected crime declined significantly.
- Alcohol prohibition “would work if it were enforced consistently.”
But, even assuming the truth of these claims, they don’t quite lead to the desired conclusion.
Obviously, productivity will increase to a degree if people find it harder to drink alcohol. So what? Alcohol also remedies things (Mishlei: !תנו שכר לאובד). Why should victims care if their assaults are “related” to alcohol or not?!
And the whole point is, nothing governmental is ever enforced consistently and effectively. Drug prohibition doesn’t even succeed in government-controlled jail! And making Prohibition even worse would not overcome insuperable praxeological problems.
(And let’s ignore those who switched to other forms of escape, including drugs such as heroin…)