Unintended Consequences of Prohibition
“The law of unintended consequences is what happens when a simple system tries to regulate a complex system. The political system is simple; it operates with limited information (rational ignorance), short time horizons, low feedback, and poor and misaligned incentives. Society in contrast is a complex, evolving, high-feedback, incentive-driven system. When a simple system tries to regulate a complex system you often get unintended consequences.” (1) Before the prohibition of alcohol existed in the United States people freely drank alcohol, mainly beer, some responsibly and some irresponsibly. The government was able to collect quite a substantial amount of tax revenue for the manufacture, transportation, sales, and consumption of alcohol. In the years leading up to the prohibition of alcohol the rates of serious crime and alcohol consumption were steadily dropping, they rose during the mid – latter years of prohibition. There were relatively small numbers of prisoners throughout the United States, especially in federal prisons, which wasn’t much of a tax burden on the public. People generally drank responsibly, but there was a growing puritanical movement in the United States that found drinking alcohol for the purpose of intoxication morally reprehensible.
Alcohol was outlawed to attempt to decrease deviant social behavior as well as criminal behavior. Many people believed that alcohol was the root of most social problems and criminal behavior so they figured it they got rid of alcohol there would be less crime, less dependence on addictive substances, less prisoners and less of a tax burden. The Eighteenth Amendment was certified January 29, 1919 and thus began the years of the alcohol prohibition.
Section 1. After one year from the ratification of this article the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the
Alcohol was outlawed to attempt to decrease deviant social behavior as well as criminal behavior. Many people believed that alcohol was the root of most social problems and criminal behavior so they figured it they got rid of alcohol there would be less crime, less dependence on addictive substances, less prisoners and less of a tax burden. The Eighteenth Amendment was certified January 29, 1919 and thus began the years of the alcohol prohibition.
Section 1. After one year from the ratification of this article the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the
Bibliography: 1. http://www.stat.columbia.edu/~cook/movabletype/archives/2008/01/what_kind_of_la.html 2. http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=1017&full=1 3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASCAR 4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eighteenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution 5. http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/library/basicfax.htm