U.S. President Barack Obama recently took some heat for saying that marijuana is no worse than alcohol, and perhaps less dangerous "in terms of its impact on the individual consumer." The comparison between pot and alcohol is apt. The growing disenchantment with the war on drugs parallels the nation's rejection and repeal of Prohibition 80 years ago. Little wonder that proponents of marijuana have used this history to justify legalization.
Unfortunately parallels can be misleading. Yes, history helps us understand what may happen if we legalize recreational marijuana. But the lessons of Prohibition's rise and fall are a bit more sobering than both sides of the debate may realize. The story of Prohibition is straightforward: Moralizers banned alcohol, but Americans still wanted their booze. Criminals happily supplied it, and before too long Al Capone and company controlled the supply of alcohol. After 13 years of rising criminality and soaring alcohol consumption, Americans repealed Prohibition. Liberty triumphed over an overbearing nanny state.
It's a nice story. It's also wrong.