After the failure of three state referendums for Prohibition in five years (1914, 1915 and 1917), Ohio's drys were handed a new rhetorical weapon. The drys, headed by the Ohio Anti-Saloon League, had traditionally based their argument for prohibition on an appeal to morality.  After America fully entered World War One on December 7, 1917, the drys exploited the patriotism inspired by our involvement and amplified suspicions that America's brewers were secret German sympathizers.  At the same time they pleaded that breweries must be shut down because they used resources that could be channeled to the war effort.  As a result, dry counties in Ohio increased substantially during 1918, and in Toledo brewery production was ordered cut to one third of its 1917 output. 

Ohio drys finally pushed a State Constitutional Amendment over the line on November 5th, 1918 by just 14,500 votes.    The popular approval of Article XV, Section 9  made illegal the "sale and manufacture for sale of intoxicating liquor as a beverage".  The existing breweries and saloons were allowed to operate for the remainder of their 12-month licenses.  When they expired at midnight on the fourth Monday of May, 1919, Ohio entered statewide Prohibition.