Prohibition

Prohibition means making something illegal by law. When the word stands alone, it usually refers to banning the production, storage (in barrels or bottles), transport, sale, possession, and drinking of alcohol. It can also describe the historical period when such bans were in effect.

Early limits on alcohol trade appear in the Code of Hammurabi, which prohibited selling beer for money—only bartering for barley was allowed. The law stated that a beer seller who accepted money or gave less beer than the barley received would be thrown into water. In the 6th century BCE, the Greek city-state of Eleutherna passed a law against drunkenness, though religious rituals were exempt.

In the early 1900s, pietistic Protestants in Nordic countries and North America drove much of the prohibition movement, motivated by moral beliefs. These movements grew alongside women’s suffrage, as newly empowered women strongly backed policies that reduced alcohol consumption.

Several countries had alcohol bans during the first half of the 20th century: Canada had national prohibition from 1918 to 1920, with provincial bans lasting from 1901 to 1948 in Prince Edward Island, and 1919 in Quebec. The Faroe Islands banned alcohol from 1907 to 1992, though limited private imports from Denmark were allowed after 1928. The Russian Empire and Soviet Union prohibited alcohol from 1914 to 1925. Iceland banned it from 1915 to 1935 (wine became legal in 1922, but beer remained illegal until 1989). Norway’s ban ran from 1916 to 1927, with fortified wine and beer also prohibited from 1917 to 1923. The Hungarian Soviet Republic banned alcohol from March 21 to August 1, 1919. Finland’s prohibition, called “kieltolaki,” lasted from 1919 to 1932. The United States banned alcohol from 1920 to 1933.

Prohibition failed in North America and elsewhere after a few years. Bootlegging and rum-running became common, and organized crime took over alcohol distribution. Canadian, Mexican, and Caribbean distilleries and breweries thrived, selling to visiting Americans or smuggling into the U.S. Detroit and Chicago became notorious for evading the ban during the Roaring Twenties—75% of alcohol smuggled into the U.S. crossed the Detroit–Windsor border. Most North American and European bans ended by the late 1920s or early 1930s, though some places kept them much longer.

Today, countries where the dominant religion forbids alcohol often prohibit or restrict its production, sale, and consumption. Saudi Arabia and Libya ban alcohol entirely; Pakistan and Iran allow it only with exceptions.

Prohibition is generally not fully effective and tends to push the market underground. Most nations with long-term alcohol bans have mostly Muslim populations whose faith forbids drinking, but alcohol’s broad popularity makes enforcement extremely difficult. The vast majority of countries that once fully prohibited alcohol have since reversed the ban. Both the United States and the Soviet Union implemented total bans but repealed them within 15 years.

In Nigeria, then a British colony, missionary groups demanded a liquor ban starting in 1890, but it proved unpopular. Africans and Britons alike found illegal supplies through secret stills, colonial permits, and smuggling. The ban was repealed in 1939.

During the 2020 coronavirus outbreak, South Africa made alcohol sales and transport illegal as part of a nationwide lockdown starting March 27. The goal was to prevent drunken fights, reduce domestic violence, stop drunk driving, and curb weekend binge drinking. Police, medics, and analysts estimated that alcohol was involved in at least 40% of emergency hospital admissions. By lowering hospital visits and social gatherings, the ban aimed to slow virus transmission. A 2022 study found that the prohibition reduced injury-related deaths by at least 14% and sharply cut violent crime.

In Afghanistan, alcohol sales are illegal. Bangladesh partly prohibits alcohol due to Islamic faith, but purchase and consumption are still allowed. The Garo tribe drinks a rice beer, and Christians buy wine for communion.

In India, alcohol regulation is left to individual states. Most of the 29 states allow free sale and consumption, but prohibition is in force in Mizoram, Gujarat, Bihar, Nagaland, parts of Manipur, and the union territory of Lakshadweep. Other states and territories permit alcohol sales. Election days and national holidays like Independence Day are “dry days” when liquor sales are banned.