Pubdate: Thu, 21 Aug 2014
Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)
Copyright: 2014 The Globe and Mail Company
Contact:  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/168
Author: Konrad Yakabuski
Page: A11

AN UNHEALTHY DOSE OF PARTISANSHIP

Warning young people about the dangers of smoking pot should be about 
as controversial as telling them to brush their teeth. The same goes 
for recommending that adults consume no more sugar than they can 
bench-press. Health officials are right to point out the pitfalls of both.

This is Canada, in 2014, however, where the Harper government's 
insistence on putting its political stamp on policies that were 
previously left to independent agencies or experts in the bureaucracy 
means that even its public service announcements (PSAs) are suspect. 
Where an anti-pot ad aimed at teens seems partisan and nutritional 
guidelines seem to go light on the sugar lobby.

Health Minister Rona Ambrose, who is officially charged with looking 
out for the brain cells of Canadian teens and the waistlines of their 
parents, instead finds herself accused of caring more about her 
fast-aging government's longevity. Her anti-marijuana campaign, in 
particular, seems conveniently timed to discredit Liberal Leader 
Justin Trudeau, who supports legalizing pot.

Even if Ms. Ambrose's intentions were pure, her party's relentless 
and deceitful attacks on Mr. Trudeau's pot plans - for example, a 
Tory leaflet recently distributed in Veteran Affairs Minister Julian 
Fantino's Toronto-area riding said the Liberal Leader's "first order 
of business is to make marijuana more accessible to minors" - have 
the effect of making her an accomplice in a political smear campaign.

Ms. Ambrose's proposal to establish a new guideline on Canadians' 
daily sugar intake also smacks of politics. Her proposed 100-gram cap 
does not distinguish between sugar that is naturally occurring in 
foods and sugar that is added by manufacturers. Fruit Loops or fruit, 
it's all the same to her.

The minister says the experts at Health Canada told her that "sugar 
is sugar." But a 355 ml can of Coke, which has 42 grams of added 
sugar, is not the nutritional equivalent of a couple of apples, which 
have about the same amount of naturally occurring sugar. Added sugar 
is the main ingredient in our obesity and diabetes epidemic.

By not specifying a recommended limit on added sugar, however, the 
minister lets food manufacturers off easy. No need to reconfigure 
that ketchup by adding real tomatoes when Health Canada says you can 
eat 20 tablespoons of the condiment without surpassing your daily sugar limit.

As far as Ms. Ambrose is concerned, we can all eat cake. In fact, we 
might as well.

What's really sad about the Tory modus operandi is that worthy public 
health initiatives are discredited because fewer people trust this 
government to act in anything but its own interest.

An article by the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse, published in 
the June issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, concluded that 
pot-smoking teens, whose brains are still developing, risk permanent 
impairment. It found that "regular marijuana use in the early teen 
years lowers IQ into adulthood, even if users stopped smoking 
marijuana as adults."

Yet, the country's medical establishment this week pulled out of 
Health Canada's upcoming ad campaign aimed at discouraging young 
people from smoking marijuana and abusing prescription drugs because 
it did not want to be seen as a political pawn. The Canadian Medical 
Association and two other groups representing the country's doctors 
had earlier agreed to let their logos be used in the 
multimillion-dollar campaign that was reportedly set to launch this fall.

"The campaign, unfortunately, took a twist that looked a little 
political," outgoing CMA president Louis Hugo Francescutti said. "And 
as a non-partisan organization, we heard from our members loud and 
clear that they did not want us to be affiliated with that."

Ms. Ambrose blamed Mr. Trudeau for politicizing the ad campaign by 
raising questions about its motives. But why wouldn't he? Though he 
deserves criticism for being too vague about how he would "tax and 
regulate" pot, he has been clear that he sees marijuana as 
detrimental to young people and regulation as the best way to make it 
harder for them to get it. Yet, Tories shamelessly tell voters the 
opposite, that Mr. Trudeau wants to make buying pot "an everyday 
activity" for their kids.

If the minister goes ahead with her ads many parents will see them 
after a months-long barrage of Tory propaganda about Mr. Trudeau's 
marijuana proposal. It will be impossible for them to take the ads at 
face value, which may be exactly what the Tories are aiming for.

It's a sad day when you can't trust your own government's PSAs.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom