Prohibition
Legal ban on alcohol manufacture, sale, and consumption.
Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; when used by itself the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic beverages. The word is also used to refer to a period of time during which such bans are enforced. Historically, some kind of limitation on the trade in alcohol can be seen in the Code of Hammurabi (c.
- countries_with_current_bans
- Saudi Arabia, Libya, Iran, Pakistan (with exceptions), Afghanistan, Kuwait, Yemen, Brunei (partial)
- common_outcome
- Prohibition generally fails and drives the market underground
Lore & Background
Prohibition movements in the early 20th century in Nordic countries and North America came largely from moralistic convictions of pietistic Protestants. These movements coincided with the advent of women's suffrage, with newly empowered women strongly supporting policies that curbed alcohol consumption. After several years, prohibition failed in North America and elsewhere. Rum-running or bootlegging became widespread, and organized crime took control of the distribution of alcohol. Distilleries and breweries in Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean flourished as their products were either consumed by visiting Americans or illegally exported to the United States. Detroit and Chicago became notorious as havens for prohibition dodgers during the Roaring Twenties – 75% of all alcohol smuggled into the United States crossed the Detroit–Windsor border. Prohibition generally came to an end in the late 1920s or early 1930s in most of North America and Europe, although a few locations continued prohibition for many more years.
Reader's Guide
Prohibition is significant as a recurring legal and social experiment that has been attempted across many cultures and time periods, from ancient Mesopotamia to modern nation-states. The source article shows that prohibition is generally not completely effective and tends to drive the market underground instead. Most countries which have maintained long-standing alcohol bans have predominantly Muslim populations whose religious beliefs forbid them from drinking, but the broad popularity of alcohol has meant prohibition is extremely difficult to enforce in most nations. The vast majority of countries which have at one point fully prohibited alcohol have since reversed it. Both the United States and Soviet Union implemented total bans on alcohol only to repeal them after less than 15 years. In countries like Pakistan and India, prohibition is applied selectively based on religion or region, often leading to black markets.
Did You Know?
- During the Roaring Twenties, 75% of all alcohol smuggled into the United States crossed the Detroit–Windsor border.
- In Pakistan, only non-Muslim minorities such as Hindus, Christians and Zoroastrians are allowed to apply for alcohol permits.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Prohibition in criminal law?
Prohibition is the legal act of outlawing something, and when used on its own it specifically means the statutory ban on making, storing, moving, selling, possessing, or drinking alcoholic beverages. It can also refer to the historical era during which such a ban was actively in force.
What exactly does a Prohibition law forbid?
A Prohibition statute targets the full chain of alcohol commerce and use: manufacturing, storage in barrels or bottles, transportation, sale, possession, and consumption. In practice, any one of those links can trigger criminal liability under the relevant jurisdiction's code.
Which countries still enforce some form of alcohol Prohibition today?
As of the current canon, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Iran, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Yemen, and Brunei (partially) maintain bans, while Pakistan applies restrictions with noted exceptions. These represent the surviving legal examples of the broader prohibitionist tradition.
What is the most common result when Prohibition is enforced?
Historical and contemporary evidence consistently shows that Prohibition tends to fail as a policy goal and instead pushes the alcohol trade into the underground. The illicit market that emerges is typically harder to regulate and more dangerous than the open one it replaced.
Does Prohibition have any roots in ancient law?
Yes; scholars trace early limitations on alcohol trade back to the Code of Hammurabi, dating to roughly the 18th century BCE. That ancient precedent shows that governing bodies have long used legal restriction as a tool to control how and where alcohol circulates.
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