Thirteen years that damaged AmericaI have always been interested in the Roaring Twenties and that is why I decided to write my dissertation in English on an event that occurred in the 1920s. The following is my dissertation that focuses on prohibition and why it was not effective, particularly due to lack of enforcement, growth in crime, and increased rates of drug consumption. 'alcohol. I hope this can be useful to you. “Prohibition has not achieved its objectives. On the contrary, it added to the problems it was supposed to solve” (Thorton, 15). At midnight on January 16, 1920, one of the personal habits and customs of most Americans suddenly came to a halt. The Eighteenth Amendment came into effect and all import, export, transportation, sale, and manufacture of intoxicating liquors ended. Shortly after the Eighteenth Amendment was signed into law, the National Prohibition Act, or Volstead Act, as it was known because of its author, Andrew J. Volstead, went into effect. This determined intoxicating beverages as anything with an alcohol content greater than 0.5 percent, omitting alcohol used for medicinal and sacramental purposes. This law also established guidelines for its application (Bowen, 154). The ban was intended to reduce alcohol consumption, seen by some as devil's advocate, and thus reduce crime, poverty, death rates and improve the economy and quality of life. "National alcohol prohibition - the 'noble experiment' - was undertaken to reduce crime and corruption, solve social problems, reduce the tax burden created by prisons and workhouses, and improve health and hygiene in America” (Thorton, 1). But it probably was of no use. The Prohibition Amendment of the 1920s proved ineffective because it was unenforceable, caused explosive growth in crime, and increased alcohol consumption. "It is impossible to say whether prohibition is a good or bad thing. It has never been enforced in this country" (LaGuardia). After the Volstead Act was established to determine specific laws and methods of enforcement, the Federal Bureau of Prohibition was created to oversee the enforcement of the Volstead Act. Nevertheless, these laws have been blatantly violated by smugglers and others. Smugglers smuggled alcohol from overseas and into Canada, commoners stole it from government warehouses and produced their own. Many people hid their alcohol in flasks, fake books, hollow canes and anything else they could find (Bowen, 159).