Week 12: Intoxicant Policies

• Who were the prohibitionist groups behind political movements to suppress alcohol?

  Prohibitionist groups behind political movements to suppress alcohol were: Various clergy, Sons of the Temperance Lodge, The Royal Order of Templars, The International Order of the Good Templars, Women's Christian Temperance Union, and Dominion Alliance for the Total Suppression of the Liquor Traffic
• What did the Canada Temperance Act (1878) allow?

  The Canadian Temperance Act (1878) allowed any county or municipality to prohibit the sale of liquor by majority vote.
• What happened in 1898 in regards to prohibition?

  In 1898 a national plebiscite on prohibition found most Canadians in favour of prohibition. The law did not pass due to resistance in Quebec.
• What Caused the War on Beer?


  In the early 19th century, men, women, and children drank alcohol. Temperance leaders believed beer was a "gateway" drink.
• What was the census on beer?

  In 1851 there were 1,999 taverns in Toronto – Toronto had mroe taverns than streets. Between 1878 and 1928 the nubmer of breweries were cut by 75%. Sleeman Brewing & Malting Co. turned off its taps (officially) in 1933 for the first time in 86 years: 1000s of people out of work, however, continued to supply illicit markets.
• What did The Royal Commission find regarding The Liquor Traffic (1982 - 95)?


  Most criminal justice officials questioned the wisdom of prohibition. They actually did not endorse it: suggested license laws were enough to maintain public order; suggested the Scott Act was a failure and straining relationships between the police and community; felt investigation, enforcement, and prosecution was nearly impossible.
• What were police recruits expected to do during prohibition?

  Police recruits were expected to abstain from alcohol. However, drinking was the most common dereliction of duty among officers; officers tasked with investigating license violations; and in Toronto and Montreal officers were ordered to stay out of taverns.
• The city police were what regarding the war on vice?

  The city police were reluctant partners in the war on vice. The NWMP ambivalent prohibitionist law enforcement among white settlers. They did not want to examine respectable peoples' goods.
• When was the prohibitionist handbook published and what did it report? What were these reports?

  Prohibitionist handbook was published in 1881 and reported what alcohol was responsible for:

  • 70% of crime
  • 60% of pauperism
  • 20% of insanity
  • 50% of expenditure to run jails
  • A large proportion of disease, death, and misery.

  However, there was no evidence to support these claims.
• What did The Dominion Board of Statistics suggest otherwise in response to the Prohibitionist Handbooks of 1881?

  The Dominion Boards of Statistics suggested that the Prohibition Handbooks of 1881 had no concrete evidence. Found that alcohol had "little to no influence over criminality" and that the greatest percentage of crime was reported among non-drinkers.
• What were some arguments against prohibition?

  Some of the arguments against prohibition were:

  • Would increase revenues for organised crime.
  • A dangerous expansion of police powers.
  • Prohibition was "not British"
  • Considered "class legislation"
  • Difficult to investigate and prosecute
• How did the United States respond to prohibition?

  Prohibition in the USA laster from 1920 - 1933. Unlike Canada's attempts at prohibition, the States imposed a nationwide ban. This was because it was amended in its Constitution.
• Because of the States' prohibition how did Canadians respond?

  Canadians began smuggling liquor into the States. They were known as "rum-rummers."
• What profits were high during the time of economic depression?

  Profits were high from trafficking liquor during economic depression.
• Prior to 1908 few restrictions were placed on the distribution of?

  There were few restrictions placed on the distribution and consumptions of narcotics. They were prescribed by doctors and sold in general stores and pharmacies.
• What was the prohibition of narcotics based on?

  The prohibition of narcotics was not based on their addictive properties, but on its perceived "moral impact."
• Narcotics were prescribed to treat what?


  Narcotics treated common illness symptoms, including cough, pain, and diarrhea. An example of this is "Mrs. Winslow's Soothing Syrup." It was widely marketed in North America and Britain as a cure-all medicine for fussing babies. It was made from morphine and alcohol and nickname the baby killer.
• In Canada, opium generated?

  Opium generated money: Imports were highly taxed (up to 50%); opium factories in Vancouver, New West, and Victoria paid substantial licensing fees; there were opium dens located in Chinatown.
• Why was opium racialised?

  It was socially only acceptable for Chinese people to use opium. This was because it was not acceptable for white people to use opium as it implied the "mixing of races."