One major social problem of Einstein’s lifetime was the violence, crime, and alcohol abuse that occurred as a direct result of Alcohol Prohibition, which became federal policy in 1920 with passage of the Volstead Act.

In a 1921 essay called “My First Impressions of the U.S.A.,” Einstein had already observed the course Prohibition would take: “The prestige of government has undoubtedly been lowered considerably by the prohibition law. For nothing is more destructive of respect for the government and the law of the land than passing laws which cannot be enforced. It is an open secret that the dangerous increase of crime in this country is closely connected with this."

12 crime-ridden years later, the federal government finally acknowledged what Einstein had called an “open secret” in 1921. The repeal of Alcohol Prohibition led to dramatic reduction in violent crime, and by acknowledging the reality that adults have a right to drink, the sensible politicians who ended Prohibition allowed society to develop more responsible approaches to managing the social problems caused by alcohol addiction and abuse. Countless lives could have been saved if our government had never launched the disastrously “noble” experiment known as Alcohol Prohibition, and countless lives were saved by its repeal.

One of the first things we need to understand today is that there is no fundamental difference between Alcohol Prohibition and our current “War on Drugs.” The effects of alcohol and many intoxicants deemed illegal by our current government are not fundamentally dissimilar (except, perhaps, for the fact that marijuana is less harmful than alcohol and tobacco). Thus, it has come as no surprise to many astute social observers that our current version of Prohibition has been a disastrous failure.

Fortunately, our knowledge and understanding of drugs and drug policy can be greatly enhanced by studying the variously brilliant minds who have spoken out against the policies of Drug and Marijuana Prohibition. Our gallery of anti-prohibitionist scholars will provide a useful overview. If you'd like to see your favorite scholar added, please write us an article and send it to info@nhcommonsense.org

(Next Scholar: Milton Friedman)