Prohibition was repealed because its core policy failure—trying to legislate morality by banning alcohol—produced widespread crime, corruption, and lost revenue, while failing to curb consumption or address social problems. By the early 1930s, public opinion had shifted decisively, and political leaders argued that regulating and taxing alcohol would reduce crime, create jobs, and generate government revenue during the Great Depression. This culminated in the passage of the Twenty‑first Amendment, ratified December 5, 1933, which repealed the Eighteenth Amendment and allowed states to regulate alcohol again.