a little history lesson...
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...It then was the wine industry who started the rumors of absinthe's hallucinogenic & highly addictive properties. Based on these rumors, most countries labeled absinthe as an illegal drug and banned it.



The popularity of absinthe is actually prior to the wine blight, like way back to Roman times...and although very popular it was also expensive, and considered and "elitist" indulgence...as the wine shortage began, distillers saw a need and "cheapened" their product and made it very affordable for all...it's "elitist mystique" combined with its lower price was enough to make it popular with the masses...never mind the wine shortage...its demise was well after the blight, caused more by the temperance movement than wine industry insiders...in-fact many Vintners were vehemently fighting against regulating it (Absinthe) for fear that they might be next... at its peak Absinthe only accounted for about 3-4% of the alcohol consumed in France...

The "Great Wine Blight" began in the mid 1860's and by the 1870's-80's they had already begun to feverishly graft phylloxera-resistant American rootstocks across the country, based upon the great successes they had in the previous years...
the banning of absinthe was still 30-40 years away...

It was the Belgium who first banned it, in 1905 quietly and with out fanfare and not the French...but the Swiss often take credit because of a very public debate spanned by a murder/suicide attempt in which the perp. (Lanfray) had [consumed five liters of wine, six glasses of cognac, one coffee laced with brandy, two crème de menthes, and two glasses of absinthe after eating a sandwich.]* He then went home had another Coffee and Brandy, then he shot up his wife and kids, then turned the gun upon himself...he was un-sucsessful in his suicide attempt and stood trial...

Due to the "rumors" in Europe and circulating around the world, they blamed the 2 little glasses of Absinthe not the gallon or so of alcohol...this was 1905. As a result of the trial and all its hub-bub the down fall of Absinthe began...it would be 5 more years before the Law banning Absinthe would go into effect in Switzerland …other countries would soon follow….

But again it was the Temperance Movement that started the ball rolling, not the Wine industry.

*quoted directly from full story here

THE VOICE OF REASON per: Stewart AF&AM/Shriner/Scoutmaster 130/45 TBS 2shim SS Uni 18/42