Pubdate: Tue, 12 Jun 2007
Source: National Post (Canada)
Copyright: 2007 Southam Inc.
Contact:  http://www.nationalpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/286
Author: Croft Woodruff

ALCOHOL: IT'S WORSE THAN HEROIN

Re: Combating Crime, June 9.

Half of all traffic fatalities are alcohol-related. Alcohol use is 
associated with 69% of drownings and has been found to be involved 
with 70% percent of all deaths and 63% of injuries from falls. 
Alcohol is a significant factor in the battered child syndrome.

"Alcohol use is our costliest and most widespread drug problem," 
reports Richard W. Wilsnack of the University of North Dakota School 
of Medicine.

According to the Consumers Union Report on Licit and Illicit Drugs, 
the amount of harm done to the human body by nicotine and alcohol 
vastly exceeds the physical harm done by all of the other 
psychoactive drugs put together. A major error of the current drug 
classification system is that it treats alcohol and nicotine -- the 
most harmful drugs by far -- essentially as non-drugs.

Vancouver city council's decision to change the bylaws to allow more 
pub and liquor outlets in the suburbs in order to guarantee alcohol 
users and abusers greater access to their "injection" sites is 
hypocritical in the extreme -- especially considering that, 
physiologically, alcohol is at least 1,000 times more harmful than 
heroin. Why can't the so-called illicit drug users purchase their 
drugs of choice and do them in the privacy of their homes if that is 
their desire? That would at least get them off the streets?

Legislated morality never worked during the prohibition era in the 
Unites States and it is not working with illicit drugs. It would not 
help alcohol and tobacco addicts if they were disgraced, fired from 
their jobs and declared enemies of the state, as is the case with 
illicit users.

Croft Woodruff, Surrey, B.C.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom