Volstead Act

National Prohibition Act
Great Seal of the United States
Other short titlesWar Prohibition Act
Long titleAn Act to prohibit intoxicating beverages, and to regulate the manufacture, production, use, and sale of high-proof spirits for other than beverage purposes, and to ensure an ample supply of alcohol and promote its use in scientific research and in the development of fuel, dye, and other lawful industries
Acronyms (colloquial)NPA
NicknamesVolstead Act
Enacted bythe 66th United States Congress
EffectiveOctober 28, 1919 and January 17, 1920[1]
Citations
Public lawPub. L. 66–66
Statutes at Large41 Stat. 305–323, ch. 85
Legislative history
  • Introduced in the House as H.R. 6810 by Andrew Volstead (R–MN) on June 27, 1880 [2]
  • Committee consideration by House Judiciary Committee
  • Passed the House on July 22, 1919 (295–105, 3 Present[3])
  • Passed the Senate with amendment on September 5, 1919 (Voice vote[4])
  • Reported by the joint conference committee on October 6, 1919; agreed to by the Senate on October 8, 1919 (Voice vote[5]) and by the House on October 10, 1919 (230–69, 1 Present[6])
  • Vetoed by President Woodrow Wilson on October 27, 1919
  • Overridden by the House on October 27, 1919 (210–73, 3 Present[7])
  • Overridden by the Senate and became law on October 28, 1919 (65–20[8])
United States Supreme Court cases
Jacob Ruppert v. Caffey, 251 U.S. 264 (1920)
Major United States federal
drug control laws
1906 Pure Food and Drug Act
Regulates labeling of products containing certain drugs including cocaine and heroin
1914 Harrison Narcotics Tax Act
Regulates opiates and cocaine
1937 Marihuana Tax Act
Required taxation of marijuana
1919 Volstead Act
Implemented 18th Amendment establishing alcohol prohibition in the United States
1933 Blaine Act
Alcohol prohibition repealed via 21st Amendment Repeal of Prohibition in the United States
1942 Opium Poppy Control Act
Regulated the growth of the opium poppy and prohibited private cultivation in most states.
1961 Convention on Narcotics
Treaty to control marijuana
1970 Controlled Substances Act
Scheduling list for drugs

The National Prohibition Act, known informally as the Volstead Act, was an act of the 66th United States Congress designed to execute the 18th Amendment (ratified January 1919) which established the prohibition of alcoholic drinks. The Anti-Saloon League's Wayne Wheeler conceived and drafted the bill, which was named after Andrew Volstead, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, who managed the legislation.

  1. ^ Titles I, Title II sections 1, 27, 37, 38, and Title III were effective immediately. The remaining sections of Title II were effective when the 18th Amendment became effective.
  2. ^ 1919 Congressional Record, Vol. 65, p. 1944
  3. ^ 1919 Congressional Record, Vol. 65, p. 3005
  4. ^ 1919 Congressional Record, Vol. 65, p. 4908
  5. ^ 1919 Congressional Record, Vol. 65, p. 6552
  6. ^ 1919 Congressional Record, Vol. 65, pp. 6697–6698
  7. ^ 1919 Congressional Record, Vol. 65, pp. 7610–7611
  8. ^ 1919 Congressional Record, Vol. 65, pp. 7633–7634