I have done some reading on the Prohibition Era and the conditions that led to the 18th Amendment (prohibition of intoxicating beverages in America).
Despite all the best intentions of the laws, consumption of alcohol not only did not decrease but it increased. Further, the quality of the alcoholic beverages declined sharply. People were making moonshine out of backwoods stills or mixing gin in their bathtubs. Organized crime got involved and a huge black market was developed to circumvent the laws in place. Anybody that wanted liquor during Prohibition could get it just like anybody can get illegal drugs today.
Prohibition was so unsuccessful that we repealed it with the 21st Amendment just over 10 years later.
The quality of that Prohibition-Era liquor could be quite poor. People would literally go blind (or worse) from drinking "bathtub gin" and at the time, we had people saying that victims of this bad liquor deserved whatever happened to them. Pretty much the same things we are hearing today about people that OD on "homemade" narcotics.
Not sure what the solution is. I'm not in favor of making drugs like cocaine and heroin illegal and selling it over the counter like we do with beer, wine and spirits today. So what is the solution then?
I have been told repeatedly by a wide variety of sources that this claim is not true. Alcohol consumption did in fact go down during prohibition. However, the druggie appologists *want* to run their own propaganda campaign, so they routinely repeat things that make their argument sound better.
So what is the solution then?
Don't get pregnant in the first place.
You'll never solve the drug problem on the supply side. That's the genius of the market--if demand is there supply will find it. That's why the "War on Drugs" has been such a colossal waste of lives and resources. Substance abuse is a demand problem and can only be addressed as such.
How do you reduce drug demand? By giving people real independence and opportunity. What gives them that? Being raised in a loving and stable home by your biological mother and father, education, cultural enrichment, and instilling a sense of wonder and inspiration, along with responsibility and service to others. A culture that distinguishes between good and bad, right and wrong, that celebrates the former and discourages the latter. One that honors service and the inherent dignity of all. An economic system that rewards success and doesn't subsidize failure.
Not everyone has all of this, but you need most of the population to enjoy most of this if you want a healthy, stable, and prosperous society.