Resolved: Alcohol should be prohibited in the United States.

Today's debate comes down to three main arguments: the positive and negative effects of alcohol, and what would happen if we banned alcohol. 1. First lets look at the one negative effect of alcohol that my opponent champions. He states that 26,000 accidents occur and that this affects "thousands of people". It is true; alcohol affects 26,000 people in America, which is, in truth, not a small number. My opponent's vital blunder is that he fails to realize that 26,000 deaths are relatively small amount in comparison to the amount of death caused by other harmful practices. Sure, we may be losing this many deaths from alcohol, but a devastating 440,000 lives are lost annually from cigarettes. If my opponent truly wanted to help the lives of "a mother who lost her son or a son who lost a mother" then it is clear that there are other harmful activities out there, such as smoking, that should be prohibited instead of alcohol. By banning alcohol, the United States is shifting its attention from matters that are far more important that prohibiting alcohol. Also, my opponent acts as if every person to consume alcohol is an abuser, which is not true. Of the 200,000,000 Americans that are above the age of 21, only 26,000 abuse the substance. As you can see, it doesn't take Tiger Woods to find the holes in my opponent's argument. 2. Next, lets look at the benefits of alcohol that my opponent overlooks. First, as I states before, alcohol can help stop heart attacks by 20 to 40 percent. My opponent says that there are better means of stopping a heart attack, but this is irrelevant. If there are more ways in which a person can prevent a heart attack, then it is less likely that the person will actually have a heart attack. Secondly, my opponent has no refutation to my argument that red wine can be used to extend the life of humans. Currently doctors are trying to capture the substance that is found only in red wine, and turn it into a pill that can be used to extend the lives of all human beings. If we were to go through with a ban on alcohol, any hopes of finding a pill of life would be dashed. 3. Lastly, what would actually happen if we banned alcohol? First, hundreds of thousands of people would be outraged at the government's rash decision, resulting in mobs and violence going rampant. Second, the illegal use of alcohol will increase, as people that were once peaceful users of alcohol will be enticed to buy the substance in the black market, giving money to the criminals that my opponent intends to stop. Third, this prohibition would take a devastating hit on the economy of the United States. The alcohol industry supplies nearly $400 billion dollars in economic activity to the U.S. GDP, and provides over 3.9 million jobs for United States workers.[1] By putting a ban on alcohol, my opponent is effectively cutting off 400 billion dollars of America's GDP, and putting 3.9 million lives into a state of turmoil. You as the judge must weigh the positive and negatives in today's debate. The only argument that the affirmative team brings up is that 26,000 people will have better lives, but at that we both agree that there will still be many cases of abuse after the prohibition. I have clearly defeated this point by showing you the benefits of keeping alcohol and by showing that prohibiting alcohol is a waste of time for the government as it will side-track them from other policies that are actually important. I, as the negative, have proven to you that hundreds of thousands of lives can be saved through the consumption of alcohol, that alcohol can be used to extend our lives, and that alcohol provides jobs for millions of Americans and contributes $400 billion to the economy. If you believe that we must take 3.9 million people out of their jobs so that not even 26,000 people can feel better than, by all means, vote for the affirmative. But if you believe, as do I, that the positive effects of having alcohol, such as ailment, pleasure, and jobs, are too great to look past then you must vote Negative on today's debate. [1]http://www.discus.org...