Talk:Prohibition

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I don't know enough to write it, but somebody should add a section to this article that talks about how doctors could write their patients prescriptions ("scrips") for alcohol, sometimes called "drug store rye". For a personal account, check out:

http://www.virtualnewarknj.com/memories/downneck/keeganshalit.htm

--68.80.78.97 16:55, 7 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Since 1920s Prohibition is one of my pet subjects, I'll do that some time if I remember. I've also got bookmarked a (seemingly non-copyrighted) hi-res scan of the Medicinal Alcohol form used in this procedure. It was fully legal(!) and prescriptions were written and filled without question, would certainly never happen today! Master Thief Garrett 06:52, 25 Apr 2005 (UTC)

but how come drinks are also sold now, why did drink stop solding.

-This entry gives the illusion that both the US and Canada had the same law (the Volstead Act) enforcing prohibition during the same period (1919-1933) - whereas this is only true for the United States. Canadian prohibition was a provincial law that was passed by the various provinces during the first twenty years of the 1900s (1st was PEI-1900, Last was Quebec-1919); the provinces then repealed their prohibition laws mostly during the twenties (1st was Quebec-1920, the shortest amount of time with prohibition enforced; Last was PEI-1948).

If I get around to it on my vacation, I may update the main Prohibition entry properly to reflect this.

Also some mention needs to be added of the huge business of smuggling alcohol from Canada to the US during Prohibition. Rmhermen 21:09, 4 Aug 2003 (UTC)

I added a mention of how in certain situations stills could explode in this article. It happened to my great-uncle once, where the equipment he was using to make beer exploded (but I think it was after prohibition, he was homebrewing.) Fortunately he wasn't hurt in the explosion.

Probably many of us have people in our family histories who had turned to making their own. My great-grandpa had made his own beverages during this time.

Where my uncle's family lives in Louisiana, the town where they live is dry. It doesn't mean too much other than that there are no bars or stores selling alcoholic beverages where they live. They just have to go a couple miles to get to a store that can sell beer, and there's no real enforcement of the actual dry rules. The only thing the police care about is underage and drunk driving. Kind of makes me wonder why the town even still has the dry rule on the books, unless it's just the principle of the thing.

JesseG 01:30, 10 Jul 2004 (UTC)

Not only are some towns dry across the country (my parents live in a dry town in upstate NY), but in many states, especially in the south, entire counties are dry. I know in some parts of Arkansas and Alabama you have to drive a long ways to get a drink, because multiple adjacent counties are dry. --ntk 20 Jul 2004

Dry Towns

I live in a "dry" town in Louisiana. They sell beer, but no other alcoholic beverages. Can someone explain that one for me. I always assumed that dry ment none.

It's a grey area. Some places pressed for full banning of anything even close to alcoholic, while others for banning of only strong liquor (wine, spirits, whiskey, etc.). The official rules were a bit clearer than that, but I forget what they said at the moment... Master Thief Garrett 06:52, 25 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Kennedy Family

Joe Kennedy's father made the Kennedy family fortune bringing alcohol into the United States during the years of prohibition there. Perhaps this should be in this article. --McDogm 13:58, 28 May 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Really? That's a sordid little detail... well, it makes sense, how *else* do you get rich when you're not an old established family? heheheh... but maybe save that up for a "noteworthy bootleggers" section. There's also conflicting stories of brewers (and some unrelated people too) that each "created" the term "the real McCoy", so those two brewers would similarly be worthy of mention. But I'd have to read up on it a bit more... Master Thief Garrett^Talk 15:59, 28 May 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Mafia lobby

Is idea that prohibition laws were caused by Mafia lobby considered not neutral point of view?

Unless there is a source for the information, it'd be considered original research. The conventional view is that the Mafia became a powerful force in the U.S. as a result of Prohibition. I've never heard of anyone saying that they helped pass it. But if you have a source that says so, then I'm sure we can add a note about it. Thanks, -Willmcw 17:12, Jun 4, 2005 (UTC)

Reasons for prohibition

especially in the US, there doesn't seem to be any reason for the bringing in of prohibition in this article. Does anyone know anything about it?

Ku Klux Klan

Someone did an interesting edit to the Ku Klux Klan article today regarding its temperance activities. Although I reverted the edit because there were a lot of problems with it, I assume there is at least some truth to the claim that the Klan was heavily involved in temperance and prohibition.--Bcrowell 03:44, 5 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

The "kieltolaki" link in the introduction links to the Finnish-language edition of Wikipedia. Sort of silly.