Emcdda Monographs

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Emcdda Monographs EMCDDA MONOGRAPHS A cannabis reader: global issues and local experiences Perspectives on cannabis controversies, treatment and regulation in Europe Editors Sharon Rödner Sznitman, Börje Olsson, Robin Room 8 OLUME I V Legal notice This publication of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) is protected by copyright. The EMCDDA accepts no responsibility or liability for any consequences arising from the use of the data contained in this document. The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the official opinions of the EMCDDA's partners, any EU Member State or any agency or institution of the European Union or European Communities. A great deal of additional information on the European Union is available on the Internet. It can be accessed through the Europa server (http://europa.eu). Europe Direct is a service to help you find answers to your questions about the European Union Freephone number: 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 This publication should be referenced as: EMCDDA (2008), A cannabis reader: global issues and local experiences, Monograph series 8, Volume 1, European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, Lisbon. References to chapters in this monograph should include, where relevant, references to the authors of each chapter, together with a reference to the wider publication. For example: Corrigan, D. (2008), ‘The pharmacology of cannabis: issues for understanding its use’, in: A cannabis reader: global issues and local experiences, Monograph series 8, Volume 1, European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, Lisbon. The publication is available on the Internet at: http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/publications/monographs/cannabis Cataloguing data can be found at the end of this publication. Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 2008 ISBN 978-92-9168-311-6 © European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, 2008 Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. Printed in Belgium Rua da Cruz de Santa Apolónia 23–25, P-1149-045 Lisbon 5FM t'BY JOGP!FNDEEBFVSPQBFVtIUUQXXXFNDEEBFVSPQBFV Chapter 8 In thinking about cannabis policy, what can be learned from alcohol and tobacco? Keywords: alcohol – cannabis – economics – environmental strategy – polydrug consumption – prohibition – regulation – taxation – tobacco Setting the context Cannabis is just one of many psychoactive substances used in Europe for recreational and therapeutic purposes. Research into the topic has never really ignored this real- life polydrug use. Most joints contain tobacco. A cannabis session often includes the consumption of alcoholic drinks. These are givens. Nonetheless, only recently have professionals working in the area of cannabis control genuinely begun to look at the ‘cross-substance’ effects of legislation targeted at other, legal, substances such as alcohol and tobacco. This is not to say that there has been a revolutionary shift towards examining the interrelationships of polydrug consumption. The epidemiological regime — which splits drug taking along neat substance-specific lines (cannabis, ecstasy, cocaine, etc.) — remains in place. Rather, there has been a shift in national drug strategies — at least in Europe — to erode the substance-specific approach which traditionally segregated activity on licit psychoactive substances from activity on illicit drugs (1). Politically, it is no longer taboo to compare legal and illegal substances. The recent advent of smoking bans in Europe represents a golden opportunity to measure the knock-on effects on consumption of other substances. Moreover, evidence on the effects of decriminalisation of cannabis (that is, lower penalties for personal possession) in many European countries during the early 2000s is now filtering into the policy literature. This chapter does not retread the well-worn track of comparative drug harm indexes and the relative harms of cannabis and society’s chosen licit drugs. Instead, it examines the (1) EMCDDA Annual Report 2006, selected issue: ‘European drug policies: extended beyond illicit drugs?’. 119 In thinking about cannabis policy, what can be learned from alcohol and tobacco? ways in which the market for licit substances has been subject to government control, together with brief commentary on the merits of these interventions. The ‘elephant in the room’ has been dutifully ignored. There are no ‘what-if’ scenarios on how market controls could be transposed to cannabis in a post-legalisation environment. A postscript to this chapter provides a range of sources for further reading on the topic of mooted cannabis regulation. However, for the time being, any such options would require a huge shift in the political balance, which currently appears to be, if anything, more tipped in the favour of increased controls on cannabis rather than liberalisation (see Ballota et al., this monograph). Further reading on the regulation of alcohol and tobacco Alcohol Anderson, P., Baumberg, B. (2006), Alcohol in Europe, Institute of Alcohol Studies, London ec.europa.eu/health-eu/news_alcoholineurope_en.htm Gerritsen, H. (2000), The control of fuddle and flash: a sociological history of the regulation of alcohol and opiates, Brill Academic Publishers, Leiden. Walton, S. (2003), Out of it: a cultural history of intoxication, Random House, New York. Tobacco European Commission (2007), Green paper — towards a Europe free from tobacco smoke: policy options at EU level, Health & Consumer Protection Directorate-General. Kopp, P., Fenoglio, P. (2000), ‘Le coût social des drogues licites (alcool et tabac)’, in Observatoire Français des Drogues et Toxicomanies 22. 120 Chapter 8 In thinking about cannabis policy, what can be learned from alcohol and tobacco?(2) Robin Room If caffeine and other such banalised psychoactive substances are left out of consideration, almost everywhere in Europe today cannabis is one of the ‘big three’ of psychoactive substances, along with alcohol and tobacco. Although the international drug control system applies continuing pressure against it, cannabis has taken on a semi-legal status in many parts of Europe, at least at the level of the user. This raises the question, what can be learned from the extensive literatures on alcohol and tobacco policy which might be useful in thinking about cannabis policy? The question is obviously applicable in a situation where cannabis has a legal or semi-legal status. It also has some applicability where cannabis has a clearly illegal status. Total prohibition was once fairly common in both the tobacco (Austin, 1978) and alcohol fields, in the case of alcohol applying less than a century ago in many parts of Europe — Norway, Finland, Iceland, the Russian Empire and then the early Soviet Union. Studies of what happened during alcohol prohibition, and also of what happened with legalisation, are of interest in thinking about cannabis policy. Taking into account the alcohol and tobacco experience is particularly important because the field of empirical studies of cannabis policy is so little developed. A landmark in this field is the sustained effort by MacCoun and Reuter (2001) to assemble the evidence on the likely results of illicit drug legalisation in the USA. A byproduct of this study, however, was an underlining of how weak the evidence base is in this area. A recent review of ‘the contribution of economics to an evidence-based drugs policy’ (MacDonald, 2004) found agreement that illicit drug use showed some responsiveness to price, but that ‘there is not yet a consensus on the possible range of price elasticities for certain drugs’. Evidence on the effects of depenalisation of marijuana still depends on a rather small range of studies (Single, 1989; MacCoun and Reuter, 2001; Donnelly et al., 2000), in some cases of paradoxical instances where the reach of the criminal law actually widened (Single et al., 2000). (2) This paper draws in part on Room (2005). 121 In thinking about cannabis policy, what can be learned from alcohol and tobacco? Traditions of studying the impact of alcohol and tobacco policies Alcohol policy impact studies There is a very substantial literature on the effects of alcohol control policy changes on drinking amounts, patterns and problems. Data used in these analyses has primarily been of two types: social and health statistics, such as alcohol sales data, police statistics and mortality and hospital discharge data; and before-and-after surveys, mostly cross- sectional but in a few cases longitudinal. Some studies have included control sites, and one or two notable studies have included a random assignment to intervention or control condition (e.g. Norström and Skog, 2003). Alcohol policy impact studies have primarily been carried out in a limited range of countries, generally excluding both the developing world (Room et al., 2002) and Southern European wine cultures. Even between somewhat similar societies, there are substantial variations in the research emphasis on particular topics (Room, 2004). There is an imperfect fit between what those involved in liquor licensing decisions may want to know and what is available in the literature on alcohol controls. This gap between the content of alcohol control legislation and the research literature has been documented in the USA (Wagenaar and Toomey, 2000), but exists also elsewhere — particularly in countries where the tradition of alcohol policy impact studies has not been strong. The studies are sometimes done because a change was controversial in
Recommended publications
  • Prohibition, American Cultural Expansion, and the New Hegemony in the 1920S: an Interpretation
    Prohibition, American Cultural Expansion, and the New Hegemony in the 1920s: An Interpretation IAN TYRRELL* In the [920s American prohibitionists, through the World League against Alcohol­ ism, sought to extend their war on liquor beyond the boundaries of the United States. Prohibitionistsfailed in their efforts due to anti-American sentiment, complex class and cultural opposition to prohibition, and negative reporting of the experi­ ment with prohibition in the U.S. Nevertheless, restrictive anti-alcohol laws were introduced in a number ofcountries. Moreover, the efforts ofAmerican prohibition­ ists furthered the larger process of American cultural expansion by emphasizing achievements of the U.S. in economic modernization and technical advancement. This episode in American cultural expansion occurred with the support of anti­ alcohol groups in foreign countries that embraced the message equating American reform with modernity. Prohibitionists abroad colluded in the process, thereby accepting a form ofAmerican cultural hegemony. En 1920, par l'intermédiaire de la World League against Alcoholism, les prohibi­ tionnistes américains se sont efforcés de pousser leur lutte contre l'alcool au-delà des frontières des États-Unis. Cependant, le sentiment anti-américain, l'opposition complexe des classes et de la culture à l'endroit de la prohibition ainsi que la mauvaise presse dont l'expérience américaine a fait l'objet ont fait échouer leurs efforts. Néanmoins, plusieurs pays ont adopté des lois restrictives contre l'alcool. Qui plus est, les efforts des prohibitionnistes américains ont favorisé l'expansion de la culture américaine en mettant en valeur les réussites des É.-u. au chapitre de la modernisation économique et de l'avancement de la technologie.
    [Show full text]
  • July 29, 2013 Alcohol Policy in Wisconsin History
    July 29, 2013 Alcohol Policy in Wisconsin History No single aspect of Wisconsin’s history, regulatory system or ethnic composition is responsible for our alcohol environment. Many statements about Wisconsin carry the implicit assumption that our destructive alcohol environment (sometimes called the alcohol culture) has always been present and like Wisconsin’s geographic features it is unchanging and unchangeable. This timeline offers an alternative picture of Wisconsin’s past. Today’s alcohol environment is very different from early Wisconsin where an active temperance movement existed before commercial brewing. Few people realize that many Wisconsin communities voted themselves “dry” before Prohibition. While some of those early policies are impractical and even quaint by modern standards, they suggest our current alcohol environment evolved over time. The policies and practices that unintentionally result in alcohol misuse are not historical treasures but simply ideas that may have outlived their usefulness. This timeline includes some historical events unrelated to Wisconsin to place state history within the larger context of American history. This document does not include significant events relating to alcohol production in Wisconsin. Beer production, as well as malt and yeast making were important aspects of Wisconsin’s, especially Milwaukee’s, history. But Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance, its late President, Edmund Fitzgerald, industrial giant Allis Chalmers, shipbuilding and the timber industry have all contributed to Wisconsin’s history. Adding only the brewing industry to this time-line would distort brewing’s importance to Wisconsin and diminishes the many contributions made by other industries. Alcohol Policy in Wisconsin History 1776: Benjamin Rush, a physician and signer of the Declaration of Independence, is considered America’s first temperance leader.
    [Show full text]
  • Studies on New Pharmacological Treatments for Alcohol Dependence - and the Importance of Objective Markers of Alcohol Consumption
    Studies on new pharmacological treatments for alcohol dependence - and the importance of objective markers of alcohol consumption Andrea de Bejczy 2016 Addiction Biology Unit Section of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg Sweden Cover illustration: by A. de Bejczy Inspired by Stan Lee’s “The Invincible Ironman. The empty shell”, Marvel Comics “…HIS VOICE IS HOARSE, HIS HAND TREMBLING AS HE REACHES FOR THE GLEAMING OBJECT THAT SEEMS BOTH WONDERFUL AND TERRIBLE TO HIM…” Studies on new pharmacological treatments for alcohol dependence ©Andrea de Bejczy [email protected] ISBN: 978-91-628-9788-8 (printed publication) ISBN: 978-91-628-9789-5 (e-publication) http://hdl.handle.net/2077/42349 Printed in Gothenburg, Sweden 2016 By INEKO ii La familia iii iv Studies on new pharmacological treatments for alcohol dependence - and the importance of objective markers of alcohol consumption Andrea de Bejczy Addiction Biology Unit Section of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg ABSTRACT This thesis will guide you through three randomized controlled trials (RCT) on three pharmacotherapies for alcohol dependence; the antidepressant drug mirtazapine, the smoking cessation drug varenicline and the glycine-uptake inhibitor Org 25935. The mirtazapine study was an investigator initiated single- center harm-reduction study with alcohol consumption measured by self-report in a diary as main outcome. The results indicated that mirtazapine reduced alcohol consumption in males with heredity for alcohol use disorder (AUD). The Org 25935 study was an international multi-center study with abstinence as treatment goal, main time to relapse and alcohol consumption was measured by self-report collected by the Time Line Follow Back method (TLFB).
    [Show full text]
  • Contestation in Transition
    Contestation in transition Value-conflicts and the organization of markets - the cases of alcohol, gambling and coal Susanna Alexius, Daniel Castillo and Martin Rosenström, Score, November 2011 Abstract In this paper an historical comparative approach is applied to analyze how value conflict discourse and organization have evolved from the 1800s onward in three contested commodity markets – the alcohol, gambling and coal market. Situated mainly in the Swedish context, the three case studies demonstrate that the values at stake as well as the organizational arrangements brought forth in response to underlying value conflicts have changed significantly over time in all three markets. The commodities have stayed contested but for more or different reasons. Analyzing a dozen transformative moments in total we conclude that it matters to the organization of a market if there is an underlying value conflict and how this value conflict is configured. The comparative analysis sheds light on four processes in which value-conflict underpinnings of contested commodity markets may be shaped and altered: value addition, value expansion, value accumulation and value relocation. 2 Introduction ”Swedish regulation and public policy has for numerous decades been directed to general restrictive measures- high levels of alcohol taxation, low degree of accessibility and limited room for private profit seeking- thereby keeping down the consumption of alcohol, and consequently its harms.” SOU 2005:25, s. 37. “The particular character of games implies that gambling may be subjected to criminality. Gambling may cause economical and social problems for individuals as well as for society at large. Furthermore, gambling may cause health problems” SOU 2008:124 “The human impact on the climate by emission of so called greenhouse gases [primarily CO2] is one of the most severe environmental threats.
    [Show full text]
  • Alcohol, and Alcoholism
    ALCOHOL, AND ALCOHOLISM “...a large acquaintance with particulars often makes us wiser than the possession of abstract formulas, however deep.” — Professor William James HDT WHAT? INDEX PROHIBITION ALCOHOL AND ALCOHOLISM 2,300 BCE Assyrians recorded that before their gods created the earth, they had been drinking a wine made from sesame seeds. PLANTS A map depicting the Mesopotamian city of Lagash was carved into a stone tablet held in the lap of a Sumerian god. Donkey-mounted couriers begin carrying written messages about Iraq and Iran. Originally, these imperial messengers, called angaros in Persian and angelos, or angels, in Greek, had no scheduled routes or relay stations. Instead they would count on getting replacement mounts from the areas through which they traveled. This procedure would sometimes led to conflict with locals. (The government paid local leaders to provide the post riders with grooms, shelter, watering facilities, and substantial numbers of mounts. Since nothing happens perfectly, sometimes the post riders were reduced to taking what they needed.) A modified system in which the kings kept their own postal herds worked better, and by the 13th Century the Mongols would have relay stations linking every major town between the Yellow and Black Seas. Eastern Mediterranean smiths began beating meteoric iron into sacred knives and medallions. Meteoric iron has continued to be made into aristocratic weapons into historic times, Indonesian krisses being the most famous examples. As about 2,000 meteorites fall on earth during the typical year, meteoric iron is found throughout the world. While the Ka’bah in Mecca is probably the world’s most famous iron meteorite, the largest would be found near Grootfontein, Namibia, in 1920 — a 60-65 ton block of iron shale measuring about 9 feet long, 8 feet wide, and 3-1/4 feet thick.
    [Show full text]
  • American Alcohol Prohibition and Repeal As Policy Punctuation
    The Policy Studies Journal, Vol. 35, No. 3, 2007 Constitutional Blemishes: American Alcohol Prohibition and Repeal as Policy Punctuation Mark Lawrence Schrad Historical explanations for the American “noble experiment” with alcohol prohibition based on indi- vidual conspiracies, cultural changes, social movements, or self-interested bureaucracies are partial and unsatisfying. Recent advances in punctuated equilibrium theory shine new light on this his- torical enigma, providing a more persuasive account of the dramatic episodes associated with both constitutional prohibition and its repeal. Through longitudinal analysis of a unique data set reflective of early twentieth century public alcohol control sentiments, this article suggests that, as but one of a range of potential alcohol policy options, national alcohol prohibition was hardly a foregone con- clusion. The ultimate adoption of prohibition over competing alcohol control alternatives, as well as its eventual repeal, can best be understood with reference to particular feedback processes inherent in the institutional structure of American policymaking, which readily account for both the mad dash for prohibition and the widespread clamor for repeal, which have traditionally eluded historical explanation. KEY WORDS: punctuated equilibrium theory, alcohol control, prohibition The American experience with alcohol prohibition in the early twentieth century has always been considered something of an enigma, embodying a series of apparent historical anomalies: a successful antiprogressive initiative in the middle of the Progressive Era, the only constitutional amendment to circumscribe individual liberty (the Eighteenth), and the only amendment to nullify another (the Twenty- First). For social movement studies, there is the dilemma of explaining the ultimate victory of temperance forces at a time when both alcohol consumption and enroll- ment in temperance organizations were on the decline from heights in the nineteenth century (Rorabaugh, 1979).
    [Show full text]
  • Väinö Meltti: Kotkan Työväenyhdistys 1888-1938
    A COUNTRY OF DECENT CONSUMERS: THE ROLE OF ALCOHOL IN EVERYDAY FINNISH LIFE IN THE 1950S Matti Peltonen WHY FINNISH ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION DID NOT INCREASE IN THE 1950S? In the 1950s the yearly consumption of alcohol in Finland remained fixed at just under two litres of pure alcohol per capita. This quite modest level had been typical of Finnish consumers for more than one hundred years, and at least from the middle of the 19th century. At certain times, for example during the First World War, consumption fell even lower — in 1916 to about 0. 5 litres per capita (Peltonen 1997, 63). At the present time, the amount of pure alcohol consumption is around 10 litres annually. It is easy to understand that alcohol consumption in Finland had been lower than in the other Nordic countries because the Finnish standard of living was lower, a circumstance exerbated by the First and Second World Wars and the Great Depression of the 1930s. But the fact that the level of alcohol consumption remained the same, and even had a tendency to fall in the late 1950s, is peculiar. This contrasts strikingly with the development of alcohol consumption in Sweden, particularly when it could be expected that a parallel change would have characterised Finnish drinking habits. Why Finns were so different from the Swedes in the 1950s? Why were respectability and decency so important to them? Where had the roughness and restlessness of the immediate post-war years disappeared? 88 CUSTOMER CONTROL Finnish alcohol policy was reformed after the Second World War. The aim was to exert a measure of control over the customers of the state alcohol monopoly Alkoholiliike (later Alko), the only retail outlet in the country besides restaurants where alcohol could be bought legally.1 The new policy was called `customer control', and was an adaptation of the Swedish Bratt system which had been established during the First World War.
    [Show full text]
  • Responses to Alcohol-Related Problems in Four Western Countries: Characterising and Explaining Cultural Wetness and Dryness
    UNIVERSITY OF LONDON RESPONSES TO ALCOHOL-RELATED PROBLEMS IN FOUR WESTERN COUNTRIES: CHARACTERISING AND EXPLAINING CULTURAL WETNESS AND DRYNESS A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL POLICY IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS AND POLITICAL SCIENCE BY CATHERINE ELAINE GILCHRIST TORONTO, CANADA DECEMBER 2003 UMI Number: U615617 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Dissertation Publishing UMI U615617 Published by ProQuest LLC 2014. Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 rM £S£S a225 loiwtz Copyright 2003 by Catherine Gilchrist All rights reserved CATHERINE ELAINE GILCHRIST RESPONSES TO ALCOHOL RELATED PROBLEMS IN FOUR WESTERN COUNTRIES: CHARACTERISING AND EXPLAINING CULTURAL WETNESS AND DRYNESS DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY ABSTRACT There have been many variations on the theme of “wet” versus “dry” patterns of alcohol consumption. “Wet” and “dry” ideal types, primarily based on the extent to which alcohol customs are integrated and consistent with or antithetical to societal norms, can be located at opposite ends of a continuum and include distinctive patterns of consequences of drinking as well as different assumptions regarding societal responses to drinking.
    [Show full text]
  • Alcool, Alcoolisme, Alcoolisation, by S. Ledermann
    SEMINAL ARTICLES patterns and the general level of alco­ hol consumption in a population, both over time an d ac ross Fr anc e. He demonstrated that regions in which average consumption was high tended to have relatively high mortality from liver c irrhosis and other alcohol­ related causes, suggesting that the preva lence of heav y drin king— and drinking­related health conse­ quences—in a population is closely related to the general level of drinking in that population. In Alcool, Alcoolisme, Alcooli­ sation, Ledermann offered several general concepts, two of which are de­ scribed below, that fit his epidemio­ logical findings but went much farther: 1. A graph depicting the percentage of drinkers at each level of alcohol con­ sumption (from one drink per year to thousands of drinks per year) at a given point in time would have the character­ istic shape of the lognormal curve. This asymetric curve would show a single peak (indicating the highest concentra­ tion of people). The “tail” extending to the right of the peak (along the X axis) would indicate a smaller proportion of people who consume a greater amount of alcohol. Among them are the people whose levels of drinking place them at risk for different levels of alcohol prob­ lems, ranging from alcohol dependence and organ damage to early death. 2. Any two populations with the same per capita alcohol consumption will have the same prevalence of heavy drinking (e.g., more than 50 liters per year). And in any two populations with different consumption levels, the population with the higher per capita consumption will have a greater preva­ Ledermann, S.
    [Show full text]
  • EMCDDA Cannabis Reader
    ISSN 1606-1691 A cannabis reader: global issues and local experiences 05 06 15 TD-32-07-001-EN-C About the EMCDDA The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) is one of the European Union’s decentralised agencies. Established in 1993 and based in Lisbon, it is the central source of comprehensive information on drugs and drug addiction in Europe. The EMCDDA collects, analyses and disseminates factual, objective, reliable and comparable information on drugs and drug addiction. In doing so, it provides its audiences with an evidence-based picture of the drug phenomenon at European level. The Centre’s publications are a prime source of information for a wide range of audiences including policy-makers and their advisers; professionals and researchers working in the drugs field; and, more broadly, the media and general public. EMCDDA monographs are comprehensive scientific publications containing thematic papers prepared in the context of the Centre’s activities. Topics cover a wide range of issues relating to science, policy, epidemiology and best EMCDDA practice. MONOGRAPHS A cannabis reader: global issues and local experiences Price (excluding VAT) in Luxembourg: EUR 20 per volume MONOGRAPHS EMCDDA VOL. I VOL. 8 8 I VOLUME EMCDDA MONOGRAPHS A cannabis reader: global issues and local experiences Perspectives on cannabis controversies, treatment and regulation in Europe Editors Sharon Rödner Sznitman, Börje Olsson, Robin Room 8 I VOLUME Legal notice This publication of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) is protected by copyright. The EMCDDA accepts no responsibility or liability for any consequences arising from the use of the data contained in this document.
    [Show full text]
  • Download the Program in English
    5 > 9 NOVEMBER, REIMS ROCA OIV // MCGIRR HARVARD // ROBERT MONTREAL // ALEBAKI THESSALONIQUE // MARTINIC WASHINGTON // BROWNING PARIS // JABOULET-VERCHERRE PARIS // MELONI LOUVAIN // AFANASYEVA PARIS // KRAXNER REIMS // EL-MOSTAIN LE CREUSOT // CHARTERS DIJON // PINILLA BARCELONE // GEORGOPOULOS REIMS // STERN MELBOURNE // COUTANT REIMS // TISSERAND DIJON // FORGEAU MOUZILLON // TESSON REIMS // FILOPOULOS BRUXELLES // GERGAUD BORDEAUX // BLIARD REIMS // BELZILE MONTREAL // LAFFAILLE PARIS // GEORGANTZIS DIJON // BUCELLA BRUXELLES CONFERENCES // FILM // CONCERT // AFTERWORK © Champagne Création - REIMS www.univ-reims.fr/prohibition 2 PROHIBITION 1919-2019 PROHIBITION AS A RULE, AS A FACT AND AS A CRISIS The Georges Chappaz Wine and Vine Institute in Champagne is organizing from 5 to 9 November 2019 an international symposium on Prohibition, one hundred years after the beginning of this remarkable period in the United States. It gives as insight about the relationship Finally, Prohibition stands as a Crisis, in the between Law and morality and original sense of the term: by questioning in a questions the ability of Law to replace fundamental, intense, and long-standing way free will in consumption habits. In this the structures and views of its time, it obliges to sense, the decision to make America think on the alternatives for the Regulation of dry questions the efficiency of legal Alcohol consumption, not only in the 1920’s but settlements in general. also for today and the future. IStill, Prohibition is much more than an issue On the occasion of the 100-year anniversary of of legal history. As a historical Fact, it had a the Volstead Act, the international Conference profound influence on 20th Century’s Western will discuss this multifaceted story.
    [Show full text]
  • Questioning Similarities: Prohibition in the United States and Finland
    American Studies in Scandinavia, 49:1 (2017), pp. 3-18. Published by the Nordic Association for American Studies (NAAS). Questioning Similarities: Prohibition in the United States and Finland Mark C. Smith University of Texas at Austin Abstract: Only two republics have ever adopted national alcohol prohibition in peacetime, and they did so at almost exactly the same time. For these reasons and oth- ers, historians of temperance have considered prohibition in Finland and the United States to be essentially similar. In fact, despite originating at the same time, the two are quite dissimilar. American prohibition came out of Protestant revivalism and a capitalist desire for worker efficiency. By the late nineteenth century two powerful temperance organizations, the Women’s Christian Temperance Union and the Anti- Saloon League, had emerged to lead the movement for domestic prohibition and to evangelize for prohibition abroad. Prohibition in Finland came out of the movement to achieve a cultural and political nationalism. Temperance was part of the Turku ac- ademics’ attempt to create a virtuous unified peasantry and working class. The work- ing class, in particular, used the temperance movement to organize their movements. While the United States and Finland were the only two republics to undertake national prohibition, the US largely ignored the Finnish experiment. They praised it in the early 1920s only to emphasize its later failures as a way of trying to obscure their own inability to achieve a viable policy. Key words: Prohibition, Finland, nationalism, United States, morality Of the many comparisons between the United States and the Nordic coun- tries, one of the most common is their shared tendency, unlike most of the rest of western culture, toward alcohol prohibition.
    [Show full text]