Prohibition in Iceland
Encyclopedia
Prohibition
in Iceland
went into effect in 1915 and lasted, to some extent, until March 1, 1989 (since celebrated as "Beer Day"). The ban had originally prohibited all alcohol, but from 1935 onward only applied to "strong" beer
(with an alcohol content
of 2.25% or more).
refused to buy Iceland's main export, fish, unless Iceland bought Spanish wines; then lifted further after a national referendum in 1935 came out in favor of legalizing spirits
. Strong beer (with an alcohol content
of 2.25% or more), however, was not included in the 1935 vote in order to please the temperance lobby
-- which argued that because beer is cheaper than spirits, it would lead to more depravity.
As international travel
brought Icelanders back in touch with beer, bills to legalize it were regularly moved in the Althing
(Icelandic Parliament), but inevitably were shot down on technical grounds. Prohibition lost more support in 1985, when the Minister of Justice
(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 legalization in parliament—a full turnout of the upper house of Iceland's Parliament voted 13 to 8 to permit the sales, ending prohibition on the island.
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
in Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
went into effect in 1915 and lasted, to some extent, until March 1, 1989 (since celebrated as "Beer Day"). The ban had originally prohibited all alcohol, but from 1935 onward only applied to "strong" beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
(with an alcohol content
Alcohol by volume
Alcohol by volume is a standard measure of how much alcohol is contained in an alcoholic beverage .The ABV standard is used worldwide....
of 2.25% or more).
History
In a 1908 referendum, Icelanders voted in favor of a ban on all alcoholic drinks, going into effect Jan. 1, 1915. In 1921, the ban was partially lifted after SpainSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
refused to buy Iceland's main export, fish, unless Iceland bought Spanish wines; then lifted further after a national referendum in 1935 came out in favor of legalizing spirits
Distilled beverage
A distilled beverage, liquor, or spirit is an alcoholic beverage containing ethanol that is produced by distilling ethanol produced by means of fermenting grain, fruit, or vegetables...
. Strong beer (with an alcohol content
Alcohol by volume
Alcohol by volume is a standard measure of how much alcohol is contained in an alcoholic beverage .The ABV standard is used worldwide....
of 2.25% or more), however, was not included in the 1935 vote in order to please the temperance lobby
Temperance movement
A temperance movement is a social movement urging reduced use of alcoholic beverages. Temperance movements may criticize excessive alcohol use, promote complete abstinence , or pressure the government to enact anti-alcohol legislation or complete prohibition of alcohol.-Temperance movement by...
-- which argued that because beer is cheaper than spirits, it would lead to more depravity.
As international travel
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
brought Icelanders back in touch with beer, bills to legalize it were regularly moved in the Althing
Althing
The Alþingi, anglicised variously as Althing or Althingi, is the national parliament of Iceland. The Althingi is the oldest parliamentary institution in the world still extant...
(Icelandic Parliament), but inevitably were shot down on technical grounds. Prohibition lost more support in 1985, when the Minister of Justice
Ministry of Justice and Ecclesiastical Affairs (Iceland)
The Icelandic Ministry of Justice and Human Rights was a cabinet-level ministry within the government of Iceland. Since 2 September 2010, the minister had been Ögmundur Jónasson...
(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 legalization in parliament—a full turnout of the upper house of Iceland's Parliament voted 13 to 8 to permit the sales, ending prohibition on the island.