famous for is giving rise to organized crime. During alcohol prohibition there were many gangs and crime families distributing liquor to make money. Big money. Many of the gang members became filthy rich from the high demand for alcohol. These gangsters, many affiliated with the Maffia, were much more dangerous than the gangs of street kids before and after prohibition. Some even boasted killing hundreds of men. This just goes to show that the excesses of prohibition are not necessary.Another type of restriction is called back door prohibition. This is imposing harsh enough restrictions on tobacco that it largely affects the tobacco companies. In nineteen seventy one, television and radio advertising became off limits to tobacco. In nineteen ninety five, the Clinton administration and the FDA attempted to ban all tobacco advertising what so ever. Many declared that a complete advertising ban on anything legal is unconstitutional. Any attempt to use information control is a violation of first amendment rights. Also it can be argued that it is unconstitutional for the Food and drug administration to pass regulation on anything because they are an unelected body. Censorship has been known to be habit forming and it can get out of control. Assaults on freedom of speech as it is in this situation could lead to assaults on freedom of speech in other situations. A sometimes overlooked effect of banning all tobacco advertising would be that many magazines would suffer from lack of revenue. And what about Cigar aficianado, and Smoke magazine? Would these too count as advertising?The newest back door prohibition policy is the class action liability suit.Florida, Massachusets, Mississippi, Minnesota, and West Virginia have all filed, and won lawsuits against tobacco firms for Medicaid costs accrued from the treatment of smoking related illness. Many believe this to be a politician pick- pocket scheme, and that the government is only trying to ge...
