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Honest November 29th, 2008 3:07 PM

18th Amendment
 
18 Amendment: Banned all alcohol selling, drinking, etc in the US

Then, they stopped it!

Do you think it should be put back into place?

I do. Drunk Driving is the cause of so many deaths nowadays....

Virtual Chatot November 29th, 2008 3:11 PM

I see many pro's, and absolutely no con's to reinstituting the 18th amendment. Alcohol is poison, that effects more than just the person drinking. My father died due to drunk driving, and while he was alive he would come home drunk and always screamed and yelled at me and my mother, calling us names.

Drunkenness is a disease

Signomi November 29th, 2008 3:13 PM

A topic like this would welcome further discussion, therefore this thread would better belong in Other Chat.

~Moved

Yuoaman November 29th, 2008 4:26 PM

Well my father was an alcoholic for a time, though he changed after my sisters were born and my Mom moved out for a while. I believe that it is up to a person to decide how they live their life, and it is wrong for a government to try to control a population, for if given a choice most people will choose to do the sensible thing.

Nick November 29th, 2008 4:37 PM

I agree with this:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yuoaman (Post 4158918)
Well my father was an alcoholic for a time, though he changed after my sisters were born and my Mom moved out for a while. I believe that it is up to a person to decide how they live their life, and it is wrong for a government to try to control a population, for if given a choice most people will choose to do the sensible thing.

Along with that, if someone's idiotic enough to get them self completely wasted, losing all sense, it shouldn't be up to everyone else to pay the price even though it comes down to that at times. Though I'm against alcohol consumption, I think it's wrong to completely take away the consumption of alcohol for all of a population due to idiots who don't know how to control themselves against drinking. Yes, I'm aware that over time they become in need of alcohol if they start to drink it accessibly, but regardless, they shouldn't have done that at all. With that said, I really don't feel the need to explain myself any longer.

ErickaVolt November 29th, 2008 4:38 PM

I think it should. I mean many died because of alcohol drinking and more people are having cancer because of it. Also smoking should be included.

Azonic November 29th, 2008 4:50 PM

Alchohol and smoking are definitely not as severe as the banned drugs in the US. Sure, they are the cause of many deaths and accidents but they're still not that severe. Red wine, when taken at a moderation, actually improves the health by enhancing blood circulation and the like. Smoking only really causes long term health disorders, unlike the banned drugs which cause quite severe disorders in a short amount of time. However, I've heard that each cigarette someone smokes can take up to 20 minutes off a person's life.

Meh, the consumers of alchohol and tobacco need to be aware of the consequences that they have to offer. They should be responsible enough to do it on their own, instead of having the government trying to control the whole population. Alchohol and tobacco are also extremely popular, which reduces the chances of it getting banned in the US by far. Many people would lose their jobs, not to mention that the government in the US gets a large amount of money from tobacco sales because the tax rate for tobacco is so high.

Alchohol and tobacco are not severe enough to be banished from the US. Don't get me wrong, I'm actually against smoking and drinking and would never do it in my life. Only one country in the world has actually banned smoking, and they're a pretty small little settlement.

Cherrim November 29th, 2008 5:09 PM

I don't think so. :[ Mind you, I might be a bit biased because I'm currently employed by a brewery and my dad's been working in the beer industry almost all my life. So... I certainly can't say it's entirely a bad thing.

For the few people who abuse it, there are far more people who drink responsibly. To completely remove their ability to indulge a little seems crazy to me. I don't think it's good to completely ban anything. Instead, why not just enforce more of the temperance movement instead of this? Start teaching teens in school about the effects of alcohol and "train" them to know to drink in moderation, etc. Education goes a long way.

Not to mention--and my history recollection may not be the greatest here--I remember that amendment only fueled people to get their hands on alcohol through illegal means. Plus it only brought great unrest to the people and I don't think it would go over any better today. (Then again, it was never illegal in Canada back then and the business boomed, so who knows--maybe our beer industry would benefit. ;p)

Yamikarasu November 29th, 2008 8:56 PM

Drinking, imo, is something that if you can avoid, you should, but I don't think that it should be made illegal. They repealed the 18th Amendment for a reason.

Basically what happened was that a black market popped up that sold the illegal alcoholic drinks. Does anyone recall
Al Capone? Plus with an all out ban on alchohol, that meant the current alcoholics needed to get there fix. The drinks they brewed had a much higher alchohol content then normal beer, wine, etc. That meant people got more drunk, and more people died.

What I think should be done is to do for alcohol what they did for smoking. Not make it illegal, just make it a taboo.

On a somewhat unrelated note, the alcohol prohibition is similar to what we have today with marijuana. Addicts need to get it, so they get it illegally. If there was a way to get it legally, there would be far less abuse of the drug. Of course that does not mean I support marijuana or anything, its just, you know, it should avoided if at all possible.


Phixum November 29th, 2008 9:06 PM

I think alcohol should be completely banned. What is its use? Alcohol is only there for economical reasons, just like smoking. Furthermore, while you might think it's your own freedom to drink whatever you want, you have to take into account how your behavior might impact your surroundings. Drunken driving is one example. It's one of the main reasons why people die on the roads. Don't give me the "these are idiots" thing; you obviously don't think straight when you're drunk anyways, Einstein.

Drunken driving is only one example. Others might be family abuse, violence in the streets, and individual health disadvantages. I won't go into these in details because I simply can't bother.

RaikaCastillo November 29th, 2008 9:17 PM

Yeah, like putting the 18th Amendment will stop drunk driving...or drinking for that matter.

http://www.old-picture.com/prohibition-index-001.htm

Not only was the 18th Amendment the most daft legislation in American History but it didn't do anything except give us organized crime.

Alakazam17 November 29th, 2008 9:25 PM

It was unbanned before mostly because the problem couldn't be dealt with, unfortunately. Which is a fate I'm afraid to say may also come to marijuana-heh, in Canada you are allowed to have five grams of marijuana on you, I believe. And speaking of Canada, if alcohol was banned in the U.S. you know where everyone would be headed, right? No thanks. XD

As for drunk driving, I doubt it'd stop anything. Is a murderer going to worry about having an unlicensed gun? I don't think so. Similarly, many people arrested for drunk driving would have possession of alcohol as one of the last things on their mind.

So while I think it should be banned, I seriously doubt that it will.

Vernikova November 29th, 2008 9:30 PM

I actually wouldn't ban it again. I mean, you'd have to ban all alcoholic drinks if you were to do it and that just seems off-setting at events such as weddings of anything that would usually have alcohol. I know not everything has to be with alcohol but I believe that with the technology we have today that we could stop more of these things happening. I know that there are still people being killed because people sometimes drink and drive but it seems to occur less often these days. Or maybe it's just that it's being reported less.

Also, I don't think it would matter if alcohol were to be banned again anyway because sure enough there are going to be people that will make it illegally. Just like illegal drugs are today.

Then again, I can't drink yet so what do I know?

icomeanon6 November 29th, 2008 9:49 PM

Let me get this straight: the economy is in peril, people are stressed, and you want to ban drinking? The only thing that will lead to is criminal activity, because if prohibition showed us anything, it is that Americans will use any way they can to acquire and drink alcohol. The 18th amendment was repealed for a reason, it didn't do us any good whatsoever.

ShieldWolf27 November 29th, 2008 10:04 PM

No, main reason. It wouldn't matter if it was illegal. Example: Marijuana. People will drink no matter what. People will do meth no matter what. Just because some idiots drive drunk, doesn't mean you have to ban it.

Tyrantrum November 29th, 2008 11:50 PM

I solemnly agree to this!
*places right hand on heart and raises left hand*

Ivysaur November 30th, 2008 1:22 AM

I think that banning drinking would be really bad. Not only moderately drinking is actually GOOD for your health, banning alcohol would only cause Al Capone 2 to appear. I can already see people importing beverages from abroad via mail, or disguising them as something else :|

And, for the "A lot of people have died for not using it with responsability", then you could ban guns too. They also kill people who don't use them properly, don't they?

Smoking is way worse IMO, it's much more addictive and it has no benefits at all. If we were to ban any legal drug, this would be the one to.

Elite Overlord LeSabre™ November 30th, 2008 2:02 AM

I don't drink even though I'm of age, but IMO recreational drinking in moderation shouldn't be outlawed. My parents drink in moderation. Not once have they consumed alcohol to the extent where they acted tipsy or looked plastered. We have DWI and public intoxication laws to deal with those who drink so much that it affects their judgment.

If Prohibition taught us anything, it's that passing federal laws to ban drinking won't stop the drinking. It'll only breed more crime and force people to become more creative in how they obtain their brew. If there is a will to get liquor, folks will find a way to obtain it.

LethalTexture November 30th, 2008 5:43 AM

It's true; some of you need to broaden your minds a little and see the bigger picture. I've seen the opinions of many that one drink is enough to get you drunk and/or addictied. As has been highlighted, banning alcohol will only encourage people to do it more. If anything should be banned, then it's tobacco.

Glitter Stain November 30th, 2008 6:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Horizon (Post 4160492)
It's true; some of you need to broaden your minds a little and see the bigger picture. I've seen the opinions of many that one drink is enough to get you drunk and/or addictied. As has been highlighted, banning alcohol will only encourage people to do it more. If anything should be banned, then it's tobacco.

Tobacco and alcohol aren't even similar. Yeah, you could get addicted from one drink, but why do you think people make such a huge deal about quitting smoking and not alcohol? It's because tobacco is a lot harder to break away from and a lot easier to get addicted to.

Yeah, I'll admit, it'd be great to get rid of tobacco forever, but there are still many people that are addicted to it and can't find a method of quitting that works for them.

As for banning alcohol, I think the 18th amendment should be reinstated. No one's going to start a war over beer. Plus, most people who go and get drunk to the point of crawling don't have the common sense left not to do something dangerous that could get themselves or someone else killed.

Protests? So what? We've had plenty of those before. A ban on alcohol doesn't take away any fundamental rights.

Aoi Natsu November 30th, 2008 12:02 PM

I agree that alcohol shouldn't be banned. My brother got some chick pregnant when he was drunk and has had a DUI that caused him to almost lose his job, but even watching him ruin his life like this hasn't made me totally hate alcohol. My parents still manage to drink in moderation without ruining their lives over it, and because of him I've certainly learned to steer away from alcohol. But I don't think that we need to ban alcohol because of people like him. I won't rehash the black market argument since it has already been made.

I'll play dumb for a moment. If drunk driving is your main reason for getting rid of alcohol, wouldn't getting rid of cars in general also be a supposedly logical argument? That would eliminate wrecks in general and America would have to walk/bike places, which would help with health concerns of today as well.

ranger of almia November 30th, 2008 1:04 PM

If we did re instate the 18th amendment people would really want alcohol more and its just like any other substance/item its not the substance but rather the person doing the substance/using an item if we have learned anything about history it is that no matter what you ban the people will always have it.

Spinor November 30th, 2008 2:40 PM

Yes, the fugly poison of the deep fires and flames of hell should be banned. >:|

Yes, there is the job issue but there are usually more deaths in mass accidents in one year than a few years of poverty. Mexico's drinking age is 18, more accidents, more deaths, and they are still hanging on. So why the heck can't Gringoland The United States do it?

Seriously, cigars and drinks are one of the top reasons of death that CAN be stopped, unlike Cancer and Diabetes, which either can't, or are freaking difficult and expensive.

And if they don't stop it, at LEAST put insane taxes on cigarettes and drinks so the drunk ones actually do some good for the world.

Guest123_x1 November 30th, 2008 3:49 PM

no!
 
18th Amendment Prohibition was repealed because it failed miserably. All it did was lead to increased crime, "bootlegging", and increased smuggling, among other things.

Same thing goes today for the "War on Drugs"-even though there is no constitutional amendment regarding Drug Prohibition-and it's proven to be even worse than Alcohol Prohibition. (Every other government-waged "war on something" has failed as well, doesn't matter if it's the War on Guns, War on Poverty, War on Illiteracy, War on Obesity, etc. [including the War on Recession])

processr November 30th, 2008 4:13 PM

Yamikarasu summed it up pretty well. A ban on alcohol would be a fairly disastrous decision, all things considered. I'll address the Eighteenth Amendment itself first. It prohibited "the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors". This meant that the consumption of alcohol itself was not criminalised. So, if such a ban were imposed once again, people would no doubt begin to stockpile alcohol in their homes. Then, once the ban is imposed, they'd still be acting perfectly legally. It's much like the law on smoking in the UK - it's illegal for under 18s to buy cigarettes, but legal for them to smoke cigarettes should they simply 'come across them'.

Then, of course, there's the effect such a ban would have on the economy. The beer brewing industry alone is worth $294.5 billion worldwide. Nearly $300 billion. And this figure doesn't take into account the wine growing or spirit distillation industries. Plus, there would be huge job losses and repercussions throughout not only the alcohol production industries, but also those that rely on them. The pub/bar trade would almost certainly die out, restaurants would take a huge hit and those firms that transport alcohol would lose huge contracts. And, of course, there's the factor of alcohol's addictiveness. People will resort to illegal measures to obtain alcohol, or illegally sell the alcohol that they themselves have stockpiled. Eventually, alcohol will be smuggled into the country, and organised crime will be rife. Prohibition proved unpopular in the 1930s, and it would be even more disastrous in the 21st century.


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