Word of the Day : Neo-Prohibitionism

Neo-prohibitionism (also spelled neoprohibitionism and neo-Prohibitionism) is the belief that the per capita consumption of alcoholic beverages should be reduced by legislation that further restricts its sale and consumption and also by changing social norms to reduce the acceptability of drinking.

Neo-prohibitionists tend to assume that

• The substance of alcohol is, in itself, the cause of drinking problems,
  
• The availability of alcohol leads people to drink,
  
• The amount of alcohol consumed (rather than the speed with which it is consumed, the purpose for which it is consumed, the social environment in which it is consumed, etc.) determines the extent of drinking problems, and
  
• Alcohol education and policy should focus on the problems that excessive alcohol consumption can cause and should promote abstinence.
  

These beliefs lead to the call for such measures as:

• Increasing the taxes on alcohol beverages,
  
• Limiting or reducing the number of sales outlets,
  
• Limiting the alcohol content (proof) of drinks,
  
• Prohibiting or censoring alcohol advertising,
  
• Requiring warning messages with all alcohol advertisements,
  
• Expanding the warning labels on all alcohol beverage containers,
  
• Expanding the display of warning signs were alcohol is sold,
  
• Limiting the days or hours during which alcohol beverages can be sold or served,
  
• Increasing server liability for any problems that occur after alcohol consumption,
  
• Decreasing the legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level for driving vehicles or other activities, and
  
• Eliminating the tax deductibility of alcohol beverages as a business expense.
  

Neo-Prohibitionists tend to place primary responsibility on the cultural environment rather than the drinker for alcohol abuse. The analogy is that we don’t blame fish for dying in a polluted stream. The belief that the environment is polluted with ads for alcohol, positive attitudes toward alcohol, the availability of alcohol, and the social acceptability of drinking.
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Because prohibition in the United States and elsewhere has been a dramatically unsuccessful experiment in the past and is unpopular today, there are no major organizations in the United States that claim to be neo-prohibitionist, although individuals occasionally do.

Source

Wiki