The Volstead Act of 1919 which ushered in Prohibition created several socially significant realities. It doubled the alcohol consuming public. Saloons, which had been the domain of males became Speakeasies where both sexes could mingle and imbibe. Organized crime grew and later, the anti-hero Gangster glamorized in Warner Bros. films, created a new genre of art. Federal law enforcement gained new prominence in the Treasury Agent and Revenue Agent. Corruption was rampant.
My 93 year old father often tells the following account of the corruption during this era.
It had always been his father's dream to buy and operate a hotel. He and his wife had found an opportunity in Atlantic City, New Jersey. They moved their growing family from Philadelphia to Atlantic City and set up their new business. The hotel my grandfather purchased was modest by today's standards, but it was economically viable. My father says that his mum oversaw the domestic side of the operation while my grandfather ran the bar and restaurant. One afternoon, two men came into the bar and asked to speak to the owner. They sat at a table with my grandfather and explained to him that they were Treasury agents and that while my grandfather was selling a bit of whiskey and beer, which was a violation of the Volstead Act, it needn't be an issue as long as he paid them five dollars a week. They said someone would come by each week and collect the “tax”.
A new word entered the lexicon - “shakedown”. My grandfather agreed to meet their request because without the sale of alcohol he couldn't stay in business. Several weeks went by and one day the Treasury agents returned. They sat down with my grandfather and said that it appeared his operation was a success and that they felt the “tax” he was paying was too low and that it would need to be increased. My grandfather agreed to their demands, although he was angry about the situation.
Time went by and each week my grandfather paid his “tax” to the man who showed up regularly to collect it. One afternoon the agents came to see my grandfather. They told him that from what they could see his hotel was a very successful business and they saw no reason why he shouldn't be paying a higher rate each week. This enraged my grandfather and he threw the agents out of the bar. Two days later the Atlantic City Police raided my grandfather's hotel and in a scene reminiscent of a Movietone News reel smashed every bottle, glass, table and chair, and everything else that could be broken in the bar. They slashed the linen and mattresses, broke out the windows, and smashed the furniture in the rooms. My grandfather's dream was gone. His livelihood was gone. His spirit was crushed. The incident caused him to become severely depressed and it changed him in a way that only a trauma such as this changes a person.
The Volstead Act was a catastrophic legislative and social failure. Many people will always want a way to alter their mood. Studies suggest about seven percent of any population in any culture develop a dependence and become chronic abusers of substances. Many persons “experiment” or try substances in their youth. The majority of these persons grow out of this when they begin families. The need to alter one's mood is the number one reason people use substances on a regular basis. Use and misuse is not a moral issue. These persons are not weak. They are not criminals. They have a compulsion driven by psychological issues they are either unable to identify or unwilling to look at.
The money spent on the criminal justice system only creates jobs and opportunities to prey on users/dealers for those working in the system. Treatment is the most cost effective means of addressing the issue of substance abuse. Building and maintaining prisons; and incarcerating users does not address the issue. There are just as much alcohol and drugs in prisons as on the outside. The majority of them coming in by prison officials.
Some argue that legalizing substances are a solution to the problem. This usually comes from a user who thinks that if drugs are legal then he can use them without fear of retaliation or social stigma. “Put a tax on it” they say, believing this somehow legitimizes use. Often the issue of personal freedom arises. With freedom comes a sense of personal and social responsibility. The loss in productivity because of use is an issue for employers.
A complicated issue such as substance abuse is made even more complicated when there is so much money being made by both sides of the issue. Law enforcement, up to their necks in corruption and awash in tax money for salaries, equipment, and operating costs would be out of business if that tax money was diverted towards treatment. It is not in the best economic interest of the criminal justice system to turn it over to the mental health system.
The mainstream media can't sell advertising time by exposing the rampant corruption and failed policies of the criminal justice system concerning drug and alcohol abuse. The drama and excitement of drug raids and race baiting is in their best interest. The media looks at the supply and never at the demand.
Who in the media would commit professional suicide by exposing the denial?
