Prohibition: US activists fight for temperance 100 years on

It is 100 years to the day since Prohibition came into effect. The 18th Amendment to the Constitution banned anyone in the US from selling, making, importing or even transporting alcohol.

Criminal gangs immediately took over the industry. Speakeasies sprung up nationwide to sell illegal liquor and tens of millions flouted the legislation.

By 1933 it had been repealed – the only instance when a constitutional amendment has been overturned in this way.

Prohibition is now viewed as a failure. No major political parties or organisations support its return, and there is little public support for such an extreme response in the future.

Read the full article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51090163