Bars need to help fight against scourge of drugs
Editorial appeared in Fort McMurray Today Aug. 22, 2006
Alberta government ministers have been musing aloud lately.
It's worth noting because musing can result in new laws and regulations for Albertans.
Gaming Minister Gordon Graydon started the charge last week with speculation about raising the legal limit for drinking.
According to the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, three provinces allow 18-year-olds to drink: Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec. The rest set the barrier at 19.
In the '70s, some provinces forced youth to wait until the age of 21 to drink -- legally.
That's the key. Legally.
It's not common for socially active young people to wait until even 18. One doesn't have to talk to too many people to come across tales of boozing at bush parties when they were 15.
In later life, they may justify youthful indiscretions by noting they turned out OK.
The trouble is, many don't.
Alcohol doesn't have a neutral effect on people or their lives. A quick check of the courthouse will find many criminals being sentenced for various crimes blaming alcohol for their downfall. Drugs, too, but alcohol is so readily available and its use is so accepted that overuse is too easy.
Booze must not be banned. We've seen how that boosted organized crime last century. But encouraging responsible drinking is in everyone's interest.
Is raising the drinking age a year the way to do this? Probably not.
It will put booze legally in the hands of some still attending high school, but parents have their heads in the sand if they think their teens can't get their hands on a bottle without that advantage.
The second musing came from another Alberta minister, who wondered about putting the liquor licences of bars into jeopardy if drugs were sold on the premises.
This one, while fraught with some legal concerns, should be pursued.
While some may disagree, it's hard to see how illicit drug use is beneficial for individuals or society. For many, it's a one-way ticket to despair.
By forcing bar owners to rigorously police their premises, a big source of drugs would be cut off. By making drugs harder to obtain, they might be used in smaller quantities.
Anything to stop the scourge.
© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.
Alberta government ministers have been musing aloud lately.
It's worth noting because musing can result in new laws and regulations for Albertans.
Gaming Minister Gordon Graydon started the charge last week with speculation about raising the legal limit for drinking.
According to the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, three provinces allow 18-year-olds to drink: Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec. The rest set the barrier at 19.
In the '70s, some provinces forced youth to wait until the age of 21 to drink -- legally.
That's the key. Legally.
It's not common for socially active young people to wait until even 18. One doesn't have to talk to too many people to come across tales of boozing at bush parties when they were 15.
In later life, they may justify youthful indiscretions by noting they turned out OK.
The trouble is, many don't.
Alcohol doesn't have a neutral effect on people or their lives. A quick check of the courthouse will find many criminals being sentenced for various crimes blaming alcohol for their downfall. Drugs, too, but alcohol is so readily available and its use is so accepted that overuse is too easy.
Booze must not be banned. We've seen how that boosted organized crime last century. But encouraging responsible drinking is in everyone's interest.
Is raising the drinking age a year the way to do this? Probably not.
It will put booze legally in the hands of some still attending high school, but parents have their heads in the sand if they think their teens can't get their hands on a bottle without that advantage.
The second musing came from another Alberta minister, who wondered about putting the liquor licences of bars into jeopardy if drugs were sold on the premises.
This one, while fraught with some legal concerns, should be pursued.
While some may disagree, it's hard to see how illicit drug use is beneficial for individuals or society. For many, it's a one-way ticket to despair.
By forcing bar owners to rigorously police their premises, a big source of drugs would be cut off. By making drugs harder to obtain, they might be used in smaller quantities.
Anything to stop the scourge.
© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.
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