The United States of America¹s war on drugs today is very similar to America¹s Prohibition of Alcohol in the 1920's. These two major issues of their time may not seem like they can be logically compared, but statistics for usage and a correlating rise in crime for both eras show a strong relationship. There is also a tendency for an

outright defiance of the laws and lawmakers of the United States government in both cases. Most people today think that the prohibition of the 1920¹s and the current war on drugs has many contrasting points. The opposite is true. However, the points that do contrast are more opinion-based than fact oriented. The following paragraphs will attempt to clearly and effectively show a comparison and contrast between America¹s famous Prohibition era and the War on Drugs being waged today. First, a general comprehension of how Prohibition came about is necessary to the understanding of the effects it had on the general population. The anti-drinkers started to become organized around the turn of the century and formed the Anti-Saloon League. This very vocal group was fed up with the constant public drunkenness and the fights that were caus

As with Prohibition, today¹s consumers of illegal substances are very willing to break the law of the land to get what they want. A standard argument during both eras seems to be that the government should not dictate what we can do with our private time, that prohibiting alcohol/drugs is an infringement of our personal freedom guaranteed by the constitution, that those who use alcohol/drugs are not hurting anybody --except maybe themselves, and that if alcohol/drugs were legalized the crime surrounding its distribution would disappear. In today¹s war on drugs, like Prohibition, large sums of our national budget have been allocated for enforcement. And like Prohibition, more people are breaking the law than there are people to arrest them. Payoffs to police and government officials are also a problem common to Prohibition and the war on drugs. Making money in items that are black-marketed has always been big business and big business has always attracted organized cr!

ry aid. At the same time, Bush stepped up patrols to confiscate drugs as they entered the United States While drug seizures yielded record amounts, the United States Coast Guard estimated that it would take all of the entire federal budget, and then some, to seize only half of all cocaine entering into the United States. With more and more land worldwide dedicated to growing illegal drugs, and with global drug abuse rates rising, we appear to be fighting a losing battle. There is so much money to be made in the illegal drug trade today, that more and more well-financed criminal syndicates are being created some with legitimate business concerns fronting them. While dealing in black market items has always been profitable, dealing in illegal drugs has become very big business.

icipal programs. During Prohibition there were no government-sponsored attempts at rehabilitation. Today there are treatment facilities available to the public, as well as, a multitude of private options. Judges encountering both first and repeat drug offenders are often sentencing them to incarceration in a rehabilitation and treatment facility, instead of prison. It appears that people will always break the law to indulge in their personal vices, the difference lies in how far they are willing to take their law breaking. Unless there are major governmental policy changes addressing the needs of the poor there will always be a market for escapism. In conclusion, there are many parallels between the Prohibition Era and the On-going War on Drugs in America; it is their differences that will make their places in our history unique.

ime. In both Prohibition and the drug trade there have been mob and gang tie-ins to the import, distribution and direct sales of the contraband products. Violence and retribution for interference with these operations was commonplace in Prohibition and even more commonplaces today. When fortunes are involved, people tend to become very possessive about protecting them. One of the most obvious contrasts between the Prohibition Era and today's War on Drugs is that Prohibition ended on December 5th, 1933, while the war on Drugs is still ongoing. Another major difference is in public perception. The use of alcohol, at least in moderation, has always been socially acceptable. The use of drugs, even nonaddictive forms, is perceived to be bad -- leading to a life of crime. And the rate of crime associated with drugs is much higher than the crime rates during Prohibition. More people are serving time today in prisons and jails for drug related offenses than were serving time for alcoh!

cost to the U.S. economy that these addictions impose is almost immeasurable...lost wages, drops in productivity, increased costs for treatment facilities, incarceration centers and law enforcement. The costs associated with non-addictive drugs are even harder to measure. Every United State President since Eisenhower has created new measures to decrease drug use in the U.S

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Approximate Word count = 2724
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page double spaced)