# Icelandic beer prohibition, 1922 - 1989: Why just beer? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 13, 2006, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icelandic-beer-prohibition-1922-1989-why-just-beer/348211 "2006-03-13T18:53:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2006, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icelandic-beer-prohibition-1922-1989-why-just-beer/348211/1 "2006-03-13T18:53:01Z")
According to Wikipedia, Iceland implemented an alcohol prohibition law in 1915, and repealed it in 1922, except with regard for beer, which continued to be banned until 1989. The well-known Icelandic brand Polar Beer was manufactured for export only, though some managed to be illegally diverted for domestic use. So, why was beer kept illegal for so long, when you could legally obtain akvavit and other types of hard liquor? (Paging **UselessGit** ) ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icelandic-beer-prohibition-1922-1989-why-just-beer/348211/2 "2006-03-14T14:20:51Z")
Somebody besides me must want to know this, with this many views. I’m really hoping one of the Icelanders shows up…isn’t **Rune** also an Icelander? ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icelandic-beer-prohibition-1922-1989-why-just-beer/348211/3 "2006-03-14T15:59:09Z")
I don’t know the reason, but here is a source: Gunnlaugsson, H., Galliher, J.F., “Prohibition of Beer in Iceland: An International Test of Synbolic Politics”, 1986, Law and Society Review, 20, 335-353 [One link I found](http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&vid=ISBN1843061341&id=A-3lZjEVRgkC&pg=PT18&lpg=PT18&dq=iceland+beer+prohibition&sig=j5ifKquhxA79WtsOWb8TB9uEyuY) said that the re-allowing of spirits and wine in 1933 was so that Iceland could export salt cod to Spain. But no explanation of why beer was still banned. Maybe the Spainiards didn’t care about exporting beer. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icelandic-beer-prohibition-1922-1989-why-just-beer/348211/4 "2006-03-14T16:02:51Z")
Is it possible that - as with many stupid laws and regulations - there _was_ no reason? ---
**Author:** ![UselessGit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/74df32/32.png) [@UselessGit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UselessGit)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icelandic-beer-prohibition-1922-1989-why-just-beer/348211/5 "2006-03-14T16:21:49Z")
Wow–a genuine Iceland question and I’m here to see it and reply in time! By Odin’s eye, it must be Tuesday… I’m pretty sure Rune is Faroese so I’ll take this: The answer, as you probably guessed, lies in misguided protectionism and stone-cold conservatism; “Fnord”, for short. Our benevolent government decided that selling beer would increase the risk of workers and children (someone was, indeed, thinking of them) being tempted by Bacchus. Strong liquor was bad but people were trusted to avoid it if they were free of the devestating gateway booze that was beer, basically. People were actually worried that if anyone tasted beer, they would immediately become addicted to alcohol. When the beer ban was eventually lifted, bars had been selling spiked non-alcoholic beer (Pilsner) for a while. It must have been pretty bad (I was 10 at the time, so I can’t really remember… it’s all in a haze). People drank that “beer” without any societal backlashes, murders and such, so the inkling of a suggestion that allowing the real thing would not usher in an era of Danishness began to …inkle. In 1989, there was still a lot of people resigned to the end of civilization in Iceland in the wake of lifting the ban. Having seen how Iceland has evolved since then, they may not have been far off. Our government is actually still using these far-sided ways of protecting its stupid, stupid citizens: Tobacco, for example, is not visible in any stores in Iceland. It is available in all of them, but not visible. You see, if children see cigarette packs, they may feel inclined to buy one (due to the pretty colors, I assume), get addicted, get cancer and die. Therefore, they are hidden under the counter, leaving bewildered smoker tourists scratching their heads, rasping their lungs, saving a fortune and smelling terriffic. ---
**Author:** ![UselessGit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/74df32/32.png) [@UselessGit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UselessGit)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icelandic-beer-prohibition-1922-1989-why-just-beer/348211/6 "2006-03-14T16:25:40Z")
By the way, Spectre of Pithecanthropus, how did you come across this on Wiki? I’ve searched for a good half-hour and can’t for the life of me find anything on the Beer Ban. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icelandic-beer-prohibition-1922-1989-why-just-beer/348211/7 "2006-03-14T17:32:11Z")
> [@UselessGit](#): > > By the way, Spectre of Pithecanthropus, how did you come across this on Wiki? I’ve searched for a good half-hour and can’t for the life of me find anything on the Beer Ban. Just look under [here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prohibition) under Prohibition; there’s a small section on the Scandinavian countries. **ratatoskK** , according to my link wine and spirits were allowed after 1922, not 1933. Is it incorrect? I know that’s always a possibility with Wikipedia. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icelandic-beer-prohibition-1922-1989-why-just-beer/348211/8 "2006-03-14T17:42:14Z")
> [@UselessGit](#): > > Wow–a genuine Iceland question and I’m here to see it and reply in time! By Odin’s eye, it must be Tuesday… > > I’m pretty sure Rune is Faroese so I’ll take this: > > The answer, as you probably guessed, lies in misguided protectionism and stone-cold conservatism; “Fnord”, for short. Our benevolent government decided that selling beer would increase the risk of workers and children (someone was, indeed, thinking of them) being tempted by Bacchus. Strong liquor was bad but people were trusted to avoid it if they were free of the devestating gateway booze that was beer, basically. People were actually worried that if anyone tasted beer, they would immediately become addicted to alcohol. Thanks for responding to my initial question. I knew someone would if I bumped it. Your last statement is certainly an example of governmental stupidity. Because a shot of gin or whiskey used to spike a sweet soda or glass of juice has no attraction whatsoever to kids, no way. While beer, which most people hate the first time they drink it, is overpoweringly attractive to the single-digit set. > [@](#): > > Our government is actually still using these far-sided ways of protecting its stupid, stupid citizens: Tobacco, for example, is not visible in any stores in Iceland. It is available in all of them, but not visible. You see, if children see cigarette packs, they may feel inclined to buy one (due to the pretty colors, I assume), get addicted, get cancer and die. Therefore, they are hidden under the counter, leaving bewildered smoker tourists scratching their heads, rasping their lungs, saving a fortune and smelling terriffic. California is in some ways similar. You can buy cigarettes everywhere, but you have to ask the cashier for them. In the grocery stores, this means the cashier has to walk over to a locked case, possibly after getting the key from someone else, and it adds up to an annoying delay for those in line. Since the cashiers are supposed to ask for ID anyway, wouldn’t it make more sense for them to have the most popular brands of cigarettes close at hand? ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icelandic-beer-prohibition-1922-1989-why-just-beer/348211/9 "2006-03-14T17:46:48Z")
I wonder if the Scandinavian temperance movement was originally motivated by grain and food shortages in the far north. Jane Smiley’s novel _The Greenlanders_ made the point that even bread was extremely scarce, let alone products such as liquor and beer that are made from grain. Since the economy of medieval Greenland seems to have been based on pastoralism, this does seem possible. ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icelandic-beer-prohibition-1922-1989-why-just-beer/348211/10 "2006-03-14T18:20:30Z")
> [@Spectre of Pithecanthropus](#): > > **ratatoskK** , according to my link wine and spirits were allowed after 1922, not 1933. Is it incorrect? I know that’s always a possibility with Wikipedia. I don’t have firsthand knowledge of this, and you’re right, the internet sources contradict one another. [Lonely Planet Iceland](http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&vid=ISBN1741040760&id=_Ud1-J2_SvoC&pg=PA49&lpg=PA49&dq=iceland+beer+prohibition&sig=_2XnvkUh-SfKV1QKcUdttIuy9lk) says wine and spirits were legalized in 1933. So does the book [“Escape Routes”](http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&vid=ISBN0898866014&id=8aK50swPDqAC&pg=PA20&lpg=PA20&dq=iceland+beer+prohibition&sig=tWkgapcAbSDJuljxEOPdnl7IiWI) by David Roberts. [“Drinking Occasions”](http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&vid=ISBN1583910476&id=nWf4T3KJ-UAC&pg=PA38&lpg=PA38&dq=iceland+beer+prohibition&sig=EYIa_qcGpx5kKVB-MGv2uPP0Ki8) by Dwight B Heath says that at some unspecified date, beer was banned and spirits were legal, and later at another unspecified date, spirits were banned and beer was legal. The book [“Iceland” by Cathy Harlow](http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&vid=ISBN1843061341&id=A-3lZjEVRgkC&pg=PT18&lpg=PT18&dq=iceland+beer+prohibition&sig=j5ifKquhxA79WtsOWb8TB9uEyuY) is where the Spain thing is mentioned, saying that wine was allowed first, followed by spirits. I don’t know how scholarly or accurate any of these are, I just found them via Google. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icelandic-beer-prohibition-1922-1989-why-just-beer/348211/11 "2006-03-14T18:44:01Z")
I found this additional link from Wikipedia’s article on the [Temperance Movement](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temperance_movement), which says that, while the ban on domestic spirits was lifted in 1922, the ban on importing spirits didn’t end until 1933. I’m curious as to what kind of domestic Icelandic distilling industry grew up after 1922, if any, or whether the ban on imports was tantamount to a total ban on the product. > [@Wikipedia](#): > > In the last decades of the nineteenth century, Iceland’s Youth Organization and chapters of the International Order of Good Templars, both of which promoted prohibition, grew in power and influence. National prohibition existed between 1915 and 1922 However, a ban on the importation of spirits lasted until 1934 and on alcoholic beer until 1988. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Who](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Doctor\_Who](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Who)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icelandic-beer-prohibition-1922-1989-why-just-beer/348211/12 "2006-03-14T19:03:02Z")
> [@Spectre of Pithecanthropus](#): > > California is in some ways similar. You can buy cigarettes everywhere, but you have to ask the cashier for them. In the grocery stores, this means the cashier has to walk over to a locked case, possibly after getting the key from someone else, and it adds up to an annoying delay for those in line. Since the cashiers are supposed to ask for ID anyway, wouldn’t it make more sense for them to have the most popular brands of cigarettes close at hand? Quick aside - IME (limited, I don’t smoke, but I do shop) at most pharmacies in California the cashiers will keep a few packs of Marlboro Lights or other popular brands in the drawer below their cash machine. When a customer asks for one of those particular brands, they just pop it out and ring it up. It just makes it easier on them. I haven’t seen this in any grocery stores however… I assume they just have stricter policies in place. - Peter Wiggen ---
**Author:** ![UselessGit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/74df32/32.png) [@UselessGit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UselessGit)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2006, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icelandic-beer-prohibition-1922-1989-why-just-beer/348211/13 "2006-03-17T17:42:10Z")
Man, I’m glad to hear that we’re not alone with that stupid tobacco law. Stupidity loves company, eh? ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2006, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icelandic-beer-prohibition-1922-1989-why-just-beer/348211/14 "2006-03-17T18:16:45Z")
> [@PeterWiggen](#): > > Quick aside - IME (limited, I don’t smoke, but I do shop) at most pharmacies in California the cashiers will keep a few packs of Marlboro Lights or other popular brands in the drawer They sell cigarettes in… pharmacies??? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2006, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icelandic-beer-prohibition-1922-1989-why-just-beer/348211/15 "2006-03-17T18:31:17Z")
> [@Spectre of Pithecanthropus](#): > > You can buy cigarettes everywhere, but you have to ask the cashier for them. In at least one state, cigs in grocery stores are handled like this due to shoplifting. A carton of cigs costs $?? (nonsmoker here) and the loss due to sticky fingers is high. ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2006, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icelandic-beer-prohibition-1922-1989-why-just-beer/348211/16 "2006-03-17T21:32:27Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > They sell cigarettes in… pharmacies??? :eek: 🙂 Actually, pharmacies are one of the main places to get them (along with gas stations and convenience stores.) A lot of pharmacies are located in drug stores in the U.S. - the pharmacy fills prescriptions, while over-the-counter drugs are available along with regular merchandise in the stores. Drug stores don’t only sell drugs - they generally have a pretty wide selection of personal hygiene products and they often sell snack foods and quite a number of other miscellaneous personal items. And of course cigarettes as well. “Pharmacy” is often used to refer to drug stores that include pharmacies - major chains include Rite-Aid, Walgreens, and CVS. So you’re not going up to a pharmacist to ask for a pack of smokes - you just have to ask the minimum wage drone running the cash register. I get my drugs at a small local pharmacy that sells only drugs (prescription and over-the-counter.) They don’t sell snack food or toothpaste or any of that stuff - and no cigarettes either. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2006, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icelandic-beer-prohibition-1922-1989-why-just-beer/348211/17 "2006-03-18T13:39:25Z")
> [@UselessGit](#): > > Our government is actually still using these far-sided ways of protecting its stupid, stupid citizens: Tobacco, for example, is not visible in any stores in Iceland. It is available in all of them, but not visible. You see, if children see cigarette packs, they may feel inclined to buy one (due to the pretty colors, I assume), get addicted, get cancer and die. Therefore, they are hidden under the counter, leaving bewildered smoker tourists scratching their heads, rasping their lungs, saving a fortune and smelling terriffic. The Queensland Government recently introduced similar laws, in which cigarettes are supposed to be covered up so no-one can see them. I don’t smoke myself, so this law has zero effect on me, but it is one of the stupider things the State Government has done recently- whoever drafts these things obviously lives in some other Queensland, where people who smoke suddenly forget that petrol stations and supermarkets and corner stores sell cigarettes because they can’t see them anymore, and it never occurs to kids to start smoking since they can’t see the packets of The Totally Legal Product That Cannot Be Named Because It’s Bad, M’Kay. I’m surprised to learn Iceland had a ban on beer until 1989, though! You learn something new every day… ---
**Author:** ![UselessGit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/74df32/32.png) [@UselessGit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UselessGit)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2006, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icelandic-beer-prohibition-1922-1989-why-just-beer/348211/18 "2006-03-27T13:19:42Z")
> [@Martini Enfield](#): > > I’m surprised to learn Iceland had a ban on beer until 1989, though! You learn something new every day… Never underestimate the idiotic misguided quasifascism bound to come from a group of intelligent men following their hearts to protect their people. I mean… we are supposed to be very informed, liberal folk but we erupt with this type of silliness from time to time… when we go down, we go down in flames. Invariably the net result seems to be cutting down the options of bad decisions people can make in their lifetimes. You can not expect freedom if you want your government to protect you from every stupid decision you may feel inclined to make (and when I say “you”, I mean “me”). I’ll take freedom over protection every time, personally, but few people seem to agree these days. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2006, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icelandic-beer-prohibition-1922-1989-why-just-beer/348211/19 "2006-03-27T14:00:19Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > They sell cigarettes in… pharmacies??? :eek: In the US most pharmacies are basically just convenience stores with a counter for prescription drugs. ---
**Author:** ![First\_Amongst\_Daves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4491bb/32.png) [@First\_Amongst\_Daves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/First_Amongst_Daves)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2006, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icelandic-beer-prohibition-1922-1989-why-just-beer/348211/20 "2006-03-28T13:28:54Z")
> [@UselessGit](#): > > Strong liquor was bad but people were trusted to avoid it if they were free of the devestating gateway booze that was beer, basically. People were actually worried that if anyone tasted beer, they would immediately become addicted to alcohol. Me no understand. The political consensus was that beer tasted good, whereas vodka etc did not?