Prohibition

Prohibition refers to the period, between 1920 and 1933, in U.S. history when the manufacture, purchase, transportation, import, export, and sale of alcoholic beverages was prohibited by the [Volstead act]?, enforcing the 18th amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Prohibition ended in 1933, when the 18th amendment was repealed by the 21st amemdment.

While Prohibition did much to reduce the consumption of alcoholic beverages by Americans, it also presented lucrative opportunities for organized crime ([Al Capone]? probably the most famous bootlegger of them all) to take over the manufacture and distribution of alcoholic beverages.

The term "prohibition" is also used to refer to other laws banning the sale and consumption of alcohol, in particular, local laws that have the same effect. The 21st amendment, which repealed nationwide prohibition, explicitly gives states the right to restrict or ban the purchase and sale of alcohol; this has led to a patchwork of laws, in which alcohol may be legally sold in some but not all towns or counties within a state.