Pubdate: Mon, 19 Mar 2001
Source: Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)
Copyright: 2001 The Sydney Morning Herald
Contact:  GPO Box 3771, Sydney NSW 2001
Fax: 61-(0)2-9282 3492
Website: http://www.smh.com.au/
Forum: http://forums.fairfax.com.au/
Author: Clifford A. Schaffer
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01/n447/a11.html?2163

PROHIBITION WON'T CURE ADDICTION SO TRY SOMETHING ELSE

Dr Michael Dawson says that no-one denies that there were fewer 
alcoholics during alcohol prohibition (Letters, March 14). That 
statement is incorrect.

Study of the alcohol consumption records of the US around that time 
shows that alcohol consumption dropped from about 1914 to about 1922.

Alcohol prohibition went into effect in 1920. From 1922 to the end of 
prohibition, alcohol consumption, and the problems related to it, 
rose dramatically. By 1926, arrests for public intoxication and 
related offences had climbed to levels about 60 per cent higher than 
the pre-prohibition records.

In addition, prohibition spawned a huge drinking epidemic among 
children as it was much easier to obtain.

Prohibition was passed with a campaign of "Save the Children from 
Alcohol" and it was repealed with a campaign of "Save the Children 
from Prohibition".

Clifford A. Schaffer, DRCNet Online Library of Drug Policy, 
California, US, March 15.
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MAP posted-by: Josh Sutcliffe