Noting the 75th Anniversary of the Repeal of Prohibition

I don't often agree with the sentiments of Republican speeches made during special orders in the House of Representatives, but I agree whole heartedly with Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) speaking on Dec. 4, 2007 on the 75th anniversary of the repeal of alcohol prohibition.

THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE END OF PROHIBITION

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the
gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher) is recognized for 5
minutes.

Mr. ROHRABACHER. Madam Speaker, December 5, 1933, December 5,
2007. So, tomorrow we mark the 75th anniversary of something, and
most people will just pass it by and not be aware that tomorrow
marks the end of America's great and noble experiment. It is the
75th anniversary of the end of the national prohibition of alcoholic
beverages.

With the repeal of prohibition in 1933, that was 75 years ago
tomorrow, the United States ended a social planning policy that
created organized crime in America, crowded our jails with
nonviolent prisoners, corrupted our police, increased urban
violence, and destroyed the lives of thousands of victims of
unadulterated and poisoned substances, substances which if they were
permitted would have been subject to normal market protections of
fraud and quality standards. However, during prohibition, these
substances which were consumed by the American people often poisoned
them and caused them to lose their lives.

Philosopher Santayana told us that those who cannot learn from
history are doomed to repeat it. Have we in Washington learned the
lesson of prohibition that ended 75 years ago?

Why did America reject the prohibition of alcoholic beverages?
Well, when government attempts to control the peaceful behavior of
its citizens, it often sets in motion forces that are more dangerous
than the social evil that they are trying to control. Today's war on
drugs is perhaps an example.

The war on drugs has resulted in a multimillion dollar network
of violent organized crime. The war on drugs has created the deaths
by drive-by shootings and turf wars among gangs in our cities. The
war on drugs has overcrowded our prisons. More than half of Federal
prison space is occupied by nonviolent drug users. The war on drugs
has corrupted our police and crowded our courts. We apparently did
not learn the lesson of the prohibition of alcoholic beverages.

Today, on the campaign trail we hear new calls for prohibitions on
cigarettes, on fatty foods, and even more money should be spent,
yes, on the war on drugs.

But, as we mark the 75th anniversary of the repeal of prohibition,
let us have the courage to learn from the mistakes of the past.
Perhaps it would be better for us to focus our energies not on the
supply side of drugs just as they were doing with the supply side of
alcohol, but instead to focus our efforts on trying to help those
people who are addicted to drugs; perhaps to try to help our young
people, deter our young people from getting involved in drugs;
perhaps to take a whole new approach on this, rather than this
monstrous war on drugs that has done nothing but create havoc in our
inner cities, making so many young people who have been arrested and
their lives destroyed because they will never be able to get a
decent job after one arrest being a teenager.

So many people have been hurt by the war on drugs; yet we keep it
because we want to supposedly help people. Well, I would suggest
that this 75th anniversary of the repeal of prohibition, which was
the greatest failure of American social planning in the history of
our country, let us try to commit ourselves to help ensure that our
young people are dissuaded and deterred from the use of narcotics.

Let us work with those who are, indeed, addicted to narcotics and
help them free themselves from this habit. But let's end this notion
that we can try to control the use of narcotics in our country by
simply controlling the supply. Simply controlling the supply will
not work. We've got to look at the demand side, try to treat people
humanely, and use the limited resources that we have in a much more
constructive way, rather than just creating more police who are
committed to drugs and interdiction and all the rest of the major
expenses, court expenses and others that go into a war on drugs
rather than an attempt to help people who are susceptible to the use
of drugs.

I call the attention of my fellow colleagues to this the 75th
anniversary of the repeal of the prohibition of alcoholic beverages.
(CR-H14135; Dec 4, 2007)