It is quite evident that prohibition was an immense failure. Though there were good intentions behind it, there was a lack of planning, enforcement, and foresight. No one thought about what would happen after announcing that alcohol was a prohibited substance. All that the government thought about was the negative things that happened because of alcohol, but none of the positive. The government assumed that if the nation was banned from the substance, they would simply obey. There was nowhere near enough legal officials to enforce such a ban. As a result, people continued to drink, and many times, they did so in worse behavior than before the prohibition.
Speakeasies developed, the term ‘bootleg’ took root, Al Capone and other gangsters grew in popularity, and underground salons popped up. Alcohol was still being consumed by the masses. Cops took bribes and looked the other way. Other officials simply did not have enough support to tear down the underground establishments. People were outraged that they were denied something that they had always had access to in the past.
This is like taking away all toys from children, after they have been raised knowing that they always had something to play with. It is like telling high school kids not to break curfew or do drugs. The children find out where their toys are hidden and sneak them back into their rooms and the older kids want to break the rules even more. Yes, rules and regulations have a place, but in this case, they did not. The more effort the government took to enforce the prohibition, the more rebellion grew and the stronger it became.
Also, to many people, this amendment to the Constitution demanding the ban on alcohol was a slap in the face. Women were outraged that alcohol was prohibited before they even had the right to vote! It was more important to the government that the nation sober up than it was for women to be able to vote in political elections. It was more important to the government that the nation took a temperance stance that it was that all citizens be treated equally. This absurd list of priorities was not far from the minds of many minority groups.
Prohibition could never succeed in the world in which we live. It simply is not possible. For it to succeed, people would have to be infallible, unable to abuse their own powers, and unable to defy the law. However, we, as human beings, are altogether incredibly fallible. We all rebel against something at some point. We all have our weaknesses. We all have our own sense of justice and fairness. There is simply no reason to ban alcohol, when any other substance could cause as much damage as it has, if in the hands of the wrong people.
Sources:
Previous knowledge
Good judgment/Rational thinking
The Constitution of the United States of America
