Which U.S. state ignored Prohibition?

The 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution banned the manufacture, transport, and sale of liquor. The new law ushered in a period known as “Prohibition“. On Jan 17, 1920 the nation officially became dry.

While much of the country adopted and abided by the new law, Maryland was the only state that refused to pass their own to further enforce it. Even the governor, throughout the entire period of Prohibition, opposed it.

Prohibition was in place from 1920-33, but that didn’t mean Maryland’s drinkers (or the rest of the country) faithfully obeyed. From the start, alcohol enthusiasts saw Prohibition as a law made to be broken, and they found creative ways to do so.

Pharmacies were one exception to the alcohol ban. With a doctor’s note, they could supply liquor for everything from the flu to toothaches. Historians say liquor sales actually led to a boom in Walgreens’ business; the pharmacy went from 20 locations to 500 during the 1920s.

Speakeasies (places where alcohol was illegally sold & consumed) were numerous and popular during the Prohibition years. The longer Prohibition continued, the more drinkers imbibed. New York City alone had 300,000 speakeasies by the late 1920s, and alcohol became Detroit’s second largest industry, after automobiles.

The U.S. needed tax revenue, particularly during the Great Depression. In 1933, the 21st amendment was passed and ratified, ending Prohibition. Some say then-president Franklin D. Roosevelt downed a dirty martini to celebrate.