Prohibition in Iceland went into effect in 1915 and lasted, to some extent, until 1 March 1989 (since celebrated as "Beer Day"). The ban had originally
prohibited all alcohol, but from 1922 legalized wine and in 1935 legalized all alcoholic beverages except beer with more than 2.25% alcohol content.
As in many other states with prohibition, "illegal brewing and smuggling of alcoholic beverages were widespread during the ban."
According to one study, "Opposition to beer in Iceland was found to be strongest among
Alþingi members from rural areas and traditional socialist parties. The most influential argument against beer alone was that adolescents are particularly susceptible to the temptation to drink beer. Opponents of the beer ban in Alþingi pointed out the peculiar nature of the law allowing hard liquor but prohibiting the weaker beverage. More liberal alcohol policies have increased the total amount of alcohol consumed in Iceland in recent years."
History
In a
1908 referendum, Icelanders voted in favour of a ban on all alcoholic drinks, going into effect 1 January 1915. In 1921, the ban was partially lifted after
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
refused to buy Iceland's
main export, fish, unless Iceland bought Spanish wines. The ban was then modified after a
national referendum in 1933 came out in favour of legalising
spirits. Strong beer (with an
alcohol content of more than 2.25% ), however, was not included in the 1935 vote in order to please the
temperance lobby—which argued that beer would lead to more depravity, because it was cheaper than spirits.
As
international travel brought Icelanders back in touch with beer, bills to legalise it were regularly moved in the Icelandic
parliament
In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
, but were shot down on technical grounds. Prohibition lost more support in 1985, when the
Minister of Justice and Ecclesiastical Affairs (himself a
teetotaler) prohibited pubs from adding legal spirits to legal non-alcoholic beer (called "pilsner" by Icelanders) to make a potent imitation of strong beer. Soon after, beer approached legalisation in parliament—a full turnout of the upper house of Iceland's parliament voted 13 to 8 to permit the sales, ending prohibition in the country.
Beer Day
Following the end of prohibition, some Icelanders have celebrated
Beer Day on 1 March. Some people may take part in a "rúntur" (
bar crawl), with a few bars staying open until 4:00 a.m. the next day.
Beer Day
from worldeventsguide.com The legalisation of beer remains a significant cultural event in Iceland as beer has become the most popular alcoholic beverage.["Iceland Gets the Beer Back"](_blank)
from the Reykjavik Grapevine
See also
* Prohibition of alcohol
* Beer Day (Iceland)
*Brennivín
Brennivín (), the common style of brännvin in Iceland, is considered to be the country's signature distilled beverage. It is distilled from fermented grain mash and then combined with Iceland's very soft, high-pH water, and flavored only with ...
*Beer in Iceland
Beer in Iceland likely dates back to the island's settlement by Norsemen. In more modern history beer was effectively banned in Iceland for most of the 20th century. Since that ban was lifted in 1989, Iceland's consumption of beer has increased ...
*Vínbúð
The State Alcohol and Tobacco Company of Iceland (ÁTVR) is a state owned company that is the sole legal retail vendor of alcohol in Iceland. It runs a chain of 51 retail stores named Vínbúðin ''(the wine shop),'' known colloquially as Ríki ...
References
External links
Icelandic Tourist Board
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prohibition In Iceland
Society of Iceland
Iceland
Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...
Alcohol in Iceland
Law of Iceland
History of beer