Pubdate: Fri, 23 Jun 2017 Source: Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB) Copyright: 2017 Winnipeg Free Press Contact: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/send_a_letter Website: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/502 Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v17/n194/a07.html Author: Jordan Coates Page: A6 POT FEARS OVERBLOWN Re: Province should control marijuana sales (June 19) Do we need to own a permit to purchase alcohol annually? No. Is there plain packaging for alcohol? No. Does the government only sell two types of alcohol? No. Does the government track everyone who purchases alcohol? No. Do we have a government task force to monitor who has legal alcohol in their homes? No. Does the MLL sell any intoxicating substances other than alcohol? No. Did the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health determine alcohol is one of the greatest public health threats in Canada in 2013? Yes. Alcohol accounts for eight per cent of all deaths for people under 70 years old currently and has a burden of $14.6 billion on our health-care and law enforcement services, according to a 2013 study, Strategies to Reduce Alcohol-Related Harms and Costs in Canada: A Comparison of Provincial Policies. Many other substances can be directly linked to causing early death, unhealthy diet (not in every case), heart disease (roughly 48,000 deaths in Canada per year) and strokes (roughly 13,000 deaths per year in Canada) but you don't see any tight restrictions on greasy food or requirements for plain packaging at all fast-food restaurants. Yes, there are plenty of deaths in vehicles by people who had consumed cannabis, but there are zero reported deaths directly from its consumption alone. From 2006 to 2010 there were approximately 88,000 people who died directly from their alcohol consumption in the United States (poisoning/overdose). The hysteria surrounding how horrible a decision it is to legalize cannabis is absurd and every argument I see against it is riddled with hypocrisy and terrible ideas (permit fee, plain packaging, heavy fees and high prices, selling in MLL liquor stores etc.) Base Manitoba's policies on evidence, and if you're going to write a piece on all the negatives about it, at least offer some evidence. Though Manitoba may not be as progressive as a whole on this topic, Malcolm Bird is on the other side of the fence with regard to most Canadians' opinions. We all realize marijuana is far less dangerous than the drug of choice for the past 100 years - alcohol - and we're tired of being told it's going to kill us all. Jordan Coates Winnipeg - --- MAP posted-by: Matt