What are some unintended results of prohibition?

Between 1920 and 1933, the federal government made it illegal to manufacture and sell alcohol across the United States. This prohibition became known as the "noble experiment" but had many unintended consequences on American society.

Prohibition had a number of unintended economic consequences, for example. According to the historian, Michael Lerner, many restaurants, bar and theatres closed because they were not allowed to sell alcohol to the public and therefore lost the majority of their...

Between 1920 and 1933, the federal government made it illegal to manufacture and sell alcohol across the United States. This prohibition became known as the "noble experiment" but had many unintended consequences on American society.

Prohibition had a number of unintended economic consequences, for example. According to the historian, Michael Lerner, many restaurants, bar and theatres closed because they were not allowed to sell alcohol to the public and therefore lost the majority of their revenue. The government also lost heavily as a result of prohibition. On a federal level, prohibition cost the government 11 billion dollars in revenue because it could no longer tax alcohol manufacturers. Similarly, individual states also suffered: in New York, for example, state revenue declined by 75 percent (See Reference link 1 for more information).

Socially, the prohibition enabled criminal organisations to flourish as the demand for illegal liquor grew to unprecedented levels. Bribes and corruption plagued American police forces while criminals, like Al Capone, made millions from the sale of illegal liquor. In fact, Al Capone's annual income was estimated at 100 million dollars (See Reference link 2 for more information).

Finally, prohibition had no positive effects on the health of the American population. According to research carried out by the Cato Institute, the amount of alcohol consumed declined during the Great Depression but, in fact, increased after alcohol was outlawed. Similarly, the potency of alcoholic drinks rose, posing dangerous effects to American consumers, like cirrhosis of the liver. This research also suggests that a lack of alcohol also prompted many people to switch to other harmful substances, like tobacco and marijuana (See Reference link 3 for more information).

Overall, then, prohibition brought many negative effects to the American people and these reasons contributed to its repeal in 1933.