”Prohibition in the United States was a nationwide constitutional ban on the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages from 1920 to 1933.” (Wikipedia)
Peter Fleming (journalist, soldier, travel writer and brother of Ian) commissioned Jan Struther to write a regular column for The Times about “an ordinary sort of woman who leads an ordinary sort of life”.
You will be aware the law keeps changing, and some innocent and lucrative pursuits, like insider trading and market manipulation, suddenly become illegal.