PROHIBITION CAUSES PROBLEMS

Editor, The Star, Sir,

If Frank Sterle is concerned about the use of drugs by children, he
should do a little more research on the effects of US alcohol
prohibition. Rates of consumption of alcohol apparently dropped in the
US from about 1910 to about 1922. Prohibition became national law in
1920. Rates of consumption went up every year thereafter from 1922 to
the end of prohibition. By the end of prohibition in 1933, rates of
alcohol-related problems were estimated to about where they had been
when prohibition started.

In addition, alcohol prohibition caused other problems, such as giving
massive income to organized crime, and starting the first drug
epidemic among American teens. During alcohol prohibition school
officials reported that it was common for kids to come to school with
a hip flask of whiskey, and that many of the children had become
involved in the bootlegging trade.

Some of the early supporters of prohibition turned against it because
of the effects on their own children. They reported their children
found it easier to get alcohol during prohibition than before
prohibition began. Prohibition was passed with a campaign of "Save the
Children from Alcohol" and it was repealed with a campaign of "Save
the Children from Prohibition".

If Mr. Sterle or your other readers are interested in reading more
about the fascinating history of these laws, please refer to
http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer under Historical Research.

Clifford Schaffer,

Canyon Country, CA