Sumptuary laws limit personal spending to control extravagance and luxury, strengthen social structures, and conserve resources. Ancient Greece, China, Rome, and Japan had such laws. They can divide people by class, profession, and religion. Sumptuary laws began to go out of style in the 1700s but still exist in some regions. Some argue that bans on drugs and alcohol are sumptuary laws that inhibit personal freedoms.
A sumptuary law is a piece of legislation to limit personal spending with the aim of curbing extravagance and luxury. Governments of numerous cultures throughout history have passed sumptuary laws to control citizens’ spending for a variety of reasons. Often, such laws strengthen social structures, making it easier to identify someone’s place in a social hierarchy. They can also promote specific attitudes, such as solidarity with other citizens. A government can pass such a law to conserve resources by discouraging profligate spending.
Ancient Greece, China, Rome, and Japan all had sumptuary laws, and historians have access to detailed records describing these laws and their effects. Sumptuary laws can limit the ownership of certain items to people belonging to specific classes, with restrictions on things like the type and color of cloth people can wear, ornaments, and other items such as horses. The higher a person’s social class and position, the more a sumptuary law permits; for example, in Rome, ownership of purple clothing was limited because the dyes used to create purple were very expensive.
In addition to identifying people by economic class, a sumptuary law can also divide people by profession and religion. Courtesans in many cultures were required to wear certain colors to make them identifiable to members of the public, and similar laws were also passed to compel religious minorities to bear or wear identification marks. Colonizing nations sometimes used such laws to restrict indigenous dress, to force indigenous people to assimilate. In this case, sumptuary laws may not specifically limit luxury, but still control personal spending habits.
Sumptuary law began to go out of style in the 1700s in most regions of the world as an increasing number of governments began to recognize the importance of personal liberties. A push towards free trade also helped promote the lifting of restrictions on what people can buy, as traders wanted more opportunities to sell. Such laws still exist in some regions, including restrictions requiring people to wear modest dress or traditional dress in some nations.
Some opponents of drug, alcohol and other substance purchase bans may argue that they are sumptuary laws and should be struck down on these grounds. Proponents of legalization believe such laws inhibit personal freedoms by dictating what people can spend money on and how they can spend their time. Proponents of such laws point out that dangerous goods restrictions are generally accepted and point to health and safety issues associated with drugs and alcohol to support maintaining these laws.
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