Discuss the failure of Prohibition. Many have argued that Prohibition proves that there are limits to what a government can effectively legislate. Intoxicating beverages were illegal in the 1920s, yet as a leading Prohibition agent testified, it took only eleven minutes to procure a drink in Pittsburgh, and only thirty-five seconds in New Orleans. Why did Prohibition fail? Could it have worked, or was it doomed to failure? If it could have worked, how? If it was doomed to failure, why? Many unpopular laws remain on the books and continue to be enforced. In many parts of the United States today, illegal drugs such as cocaine are as easily procured as a drink in New Orleans under Prohibition, yet cocaine remains illegal. Was Prohibition somehow different from other unpopular or apparently unenforceable laws? If so, how and why?

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The Answer of Discuss the failure of Prohibition. Many have argued that Prohibition proves that there are limits to what a government can effectively legislate. Intoxicating beverages were illegal in the 1920s, yet as a leading Prohibition agent testified, it took only eleven minutes to procure a drink in Pittsburgh, and only thirty-five seconds in New Orleans. Why did Prohibition fail? Could it have worked, or was it doomed to failure? If it could have worked, how? If it was doomed to failure, why? Many unpopular laws remain on the books and continue to be enforced. In many parts of the United States today, illegal drugs such as cocaine are as easily procured as a drink in New Orleans under Prohibition, yet cocaine remains illegal. Was Prohibition somehow different from other unpopular or apparently unenforceable laws? If so, how and why?

Discuss the Failure of Prohibition