It failed because adults did not accept the law and protested against it.
Since the 19th century, several political and religious leaders in the United States have argued that alcoholic beverages should be largely opposed by the government. Many proponents of the idea, in addition to relying on religious and moral arguments, went around saying that the ban on drinks could help the development of the nation and could avoid the risk of self-combustion. In the year 1917, this possibility gained new reinforcements.
In 1920, the Volstead Act or National Prohibition Act came into force saying that any drink with more than 0.5% alcohol content would be intoxicating and, therefore, its manufacture, sale, distribution and consumption would be strictly prohibited. Although strict, the law could not contain the desire of thousands of people who wished to consume some type of alcoholic beverage.
With the economic crisis in 1929, opposition to Prohibition ended up gaining more strength. This time, supporters of the revocation claimed that the release of drinks would be a good alternative for the generation of new jobs in the country. In March 1933, the American government liberated beer production. Nine months later, Prohibition was completely overturned and, even today, it is the only law repealed in the Constitution of the United States of America.
From a practical point of view, the failure of Prohibition has shown that the creation of laws that achieve individual freedom is a matter of great delicacy. According to some scholars, the violence linked to smuggling ended up occupying and expanding the scope of all crimes related to alcohol consumption. In addition, it was clear that no legal imposition has the autonomy to ban habits already installed in a culture.
