#40: Prohibition & The War On Drugs

Alcohol and drugs can have a negative impact on people’s lives, but banning them altogether can have even worse consequences. Prohibition in the 1920s and the “War on Drugs” that Nixon started in the 1970s are two examples of how taking something away will just make people want it more. 

As we’ve learned from experience, banning alcohol and certain drugs just leads to a rise in gang activity, bootlegging, and trafficking. People want what they want, and they’ll do anything to get it. Even if it’s illegal! After learning that alcohol consumption just went “underground” with speakeasies and bootlegging, most can agree that regulating is the best course of action, not banning.