Alcohol Prohibition Comparisons

The cluster discusses historical US alcohol prohibition as a cautionary example against banning other substances like drugs, highlighting its failures such as increased crime, poor quality illicit products, and eventual repeal.

📉 Falling 0.2x Politics & Society
3,429
Comments
20
Years Active
5
Top Authors
#8839
Topic ID

Activity Over Time

2007
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2008
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2009
16
2010
53
2011
42
2012
86
2013
125
2014
137
2015
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2016
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2017
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2018
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2019
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2020
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2021
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2022
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2023
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2024
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2025
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2026
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Keywords

US IMHO www.npr pastemagazine.com history.com alcohol prohibition banning drink cannabis tobacco wine banned ban beer

Sample Comments

Mistri • Feb 19, 2021 • View on HN

You should probably read about the Prohibition[0] and the disadvantages of prohibiting addictive substances like alcohol.[0]: https://www.history.com/topics/roaring-twenties/prohibition

Geonode • Dec 20, 2025 • View on HN

How did banning drugs work out? Alcohol?

uncletaco • Sep 25, 2022 • View on HN

Because they tried to ban alcohol before and it didn't go too well.

r0s • Jun 16, 2012 • View on HN

Compare to alcohol prohibition.

wpietri • Jul 29, 2021 • View on HN

You seem to ignore that we've already tried banning alcohol and currently ban many drugs. We scrapped banning alcohol for a reason.

jmh530 • Nov 6, 2017 • View on HN

We tried banning alcohol once already...

grim_io • Dec 15, 2025 • View on HN

Alcohol is regulated, why not let them have it too?

vmception • Feb 8, 2022 • View on HN

Guess we should have banned alcohol again.

danielsju6 • Sep 3, 2013 • View on HN

Sounds like you need to read-up on the prohibition and what making alcohol illegal did to our country.

galaxyLogic • Mar 30, 2023 • View on HN

That is a bit like during Prohibition there was a lot of illegal alcohol much of which was bad quality containing methanol instead of ethanol, making people blind or deadhttps://www.pastemagazine.com/drink/alcohol-history/prohibit..."Suffice to say, the public didn’t take too kindly to that kind o