March23 is a unique day in the United States. It was on this very day, nearly a century ago that Prohibition was abololished in the country. Let us now return to our hinterland. Prohibition forms an important part of the Directive Priciples Of State Policy, something which every government is oblidged to implement. Now many would say that alcohol is bad, causes liver failure, etc, etc. Leaving the biological part of the problems to the health moguls, let us concentrate on the practical aspect of things.
Many states in India, too have experimented with this law. Andhra Pradesh, ehich had it for less than two years, today earns about a billion dollars in revenues every year- the same money that goes into developmenal schemes for the poor. Many others have implementd and repealed prohibition, but one state that stil remains the focal point is Gujrat, birthplace of the Father Of our Nation. Gandhiji was definately pro-prohibition, and while it would be wrong to question the intention upon which the law is based, we must ask the question- Is it really working? It is the states' worst kept secret that every single brand of liquor is available there, only at 3-4 times the actual price. This includes the bribes that go into the pockets of our 'babus' and 'netas'. It is infact possible to get liquor legally as well- you just need a medical permit stating that you need alcohol to survive!! A noted journalist observed that the only reason why prohibition cannot be lifted in the state is because of the huge amounts of black money involved.
Prohibition around the globe has miserably failed and has only led to black marketing and huge losses to governments in the form of excise duty. And is it not true that we are more capable of educating ourselves about the ill effects of alcohol now than we were 60 years ago, when the constitution was written?
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