One of the most shocking countries that would ban absinthe in the early 20th century would be Switzerland. There was a lot of talk and protest about how absinthe is a dangerous drink to consume and it can make people go crazy. Various incidents (A man killing his wife and Vincent Van Gogh’s ear) made people believe that absinthe was indeed a bad thing to be supporting. Switzerland was the originating country for absinthe so it was a surprise that it got banned so early.
1908
The main case which happened a few years prior that led to absinthe being banned in Switzerland was when Sallaz brutally killed his wife. Petitions were made in various areas and 35, 000 signatures were received in one of them. Politicians wanted to make sure that the majority was satisfied and with that number of signatures, it was no surprise that in 1908 absinthe was banned in Switzerland.
Many countries are starting to go back on the ruling and remove (or modify) the bans which were set in place almost a century ago. A lot of people are really starting to open their eyes and see that absinthe is really safe to consume. Studies have been done and the evidence does show that absinthe can be safe to consume in moderation – just like any alcoholic beverage really. |
