The Federal Government, in enforcing Prohibition, searched for ways to prevent industrial alcohol from being diverted and drunk. In one of their most notorious and controversial ideas they began poisoning the alcohol with multiple different substances, including, but not limited to, mercury, soap, and formaldehyde. This led to thousands of deaths and countless injuries in drinkers. (alcoholsolutionsandproblems.org). As individually smuggling alcohol became harder, organized bands of outlaws rose in major cities to supply all the bars. Some of the most famous of these were Al Capone’s, king of Chicago; Bugs Moran, his rival; and Machine Gun Kelly, among others, including the Italian Mafia.This was a very lucrative business- Al Capone’s was
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There are still illegal smugglers, like the drug and weapon dealers who try to evade the law. The remnants of bootleggers evolved into one of our favorite sports. MASCARA, the racing agency, was born from jobless rumrunners. Out of work after Prohibition ended, they got together and started racing their souped-up cars on special tracks (appalachianhistory.com). As Prohibition helped helped the growth of organized crime, it had an even bigger- and much more destructive- effect on our economy. Firstly, the alcohol tax was a major part of every state's revenue. In many coastal states, like New York, the loss of this gigantic tax crippled the income of the state. Nearly 75% New York State's income consisted of the alcohol tax. In total, this lost tax was about 11 billion nationwide (pbs.org). In addition to this lost tax, thousands lost their jobs. Even though some breweries stayed open, many closed, knocking out thousands of jobs. Some restaurants, bars, and pubs had to shut down because they could not legally sell alcohol to gain a profit and supplement their food sales. Furthermore, other industries, notably barrel makers, truck drivers, and canneries, were forced to lay off workers due to decreasing demand
There are still illegal smugglers, like the drug and weapon dealers who try to evade the law. The remnants of bootleggers evolved into one of our favorite sports. MASCARA, the racing agency, was born from jobless rumrunners. Out of work after Prohibition ended, they got together and started racing their souped-up cars on special tracks (appalachianhistory.com). As Prohibition helped helped the growth of organized crime, it had an even bigger- and much more destructive- effect on our economy. Firstly, the alcohol tax was a major part of every state's revenue. In many coastal states, like New York, the loss of this gigantic tax crippled the income of the state. Nearly 75% New York State's income consisted of the alcohol tax. In total, this lost tax was about 11 billion nationwide (pbs.org). In addition to this lost tax, thousands lost their jobs. Even though some breweries stayed open, many closed, knocking out thousands of jobs. Some restaurants, bars, and pubs had to shut down because they could not legally sell alcohol to gain a profit and supplement their food sales. Furthermore, other industries, notably barrel makers, truck drivers, and canneries, were forced to lay off workers due to decreasing demand