Comfort in Times of Crisis #23

Most people have heard of Prohibition, the time when America decided drinking was bad. But how much do we really know? Because it wasn’t just the speakeasies that were hidden. We’re talking about Mafia turf wars and government poisoning alcohol for years. And that’s just the star ...  Show more

At the turn of the 20th century, pharmacies sold medicines containing cannabis regularly. There was no stigma surrounding it. But in the 1930s, a few powerful men stirred up fear about marijuana. The official story: in 1937 the government passed the Marijuana Tax, essentially pro ...  Show more

On January 17, 1920, the United States passed the 18th Amendment to the US Constitution, ushering in a 13-year dry spell known as Prohibition. But how did a country that loved to drink turn its back on alcohol? How did two-thirds of both the House and Senate and three-fourths of ...  Show more

The rise of the speakeasy was one of many unintended consequences of Prohibition - and others were much deadlier.Not coincidentally, at the same time Prohibition was taking effect, the Klu Klux Klan rose to power. They combined Prohibition’s anti-immigrant rhetoric with violence. ...  Show more