I find our government’s action in easing access to alcohol surprising, especially in consideration of the extreme caution shown in regard to providing legal access to cannabis.
Alcohol causes many deaths each year, yet regulations regarding use continue to be eased. Although we have been promised legally regulated access to cannabis, the process is extremely cumbersome and slow.
People continue to be arrested, gaining life-impairing criminal records, as we wait for the fulfillment of the promise to legalize.
Cannabis has never caused an overdose death and has many medicinal benefits, while we have a good awareness of many physical and social harms caused by the widespread abuse of alcohol. Our current situation, in which cannabis availability for non-medical use is left in the hands of the illegal market, provides easy access to minors and no protocols to assure the safety of the product.
Our governments need to provide more consistent policies. Our overblown approach to concerns for the safety of Canadians in terms of legal access to cannabis is inconsistent with the liberalization of policies regarding alcohol.
Let’s get sensible, and speed up the transition to legally regulated cannabis.
Glenda BarrLantzville