ALCOHOL TOLL BADLY UNDERESTIMATED, STUDY SAYS

Illicit Drug Dangers Get More Attention From Public

OTTAWA - Days after the federal government unveiled a budget that
earmarked $64-million for a national anti-drug strategy, a new report
says the social and economic costs associated with alcohol are twice
as high as those racked up by illegal drug use.

The study says Canadians have an exaggerated view of the harm
associated with illegal drugs, possibly fuelled by vivid media
reports, and the emphasis given the subject by police organizations,
political leaders and policy-makers.

The study, released yesterday by the Canadian Centre on Substance
Abuse, suggests anti-drug strategies should include alcohol as a
significant part of the equation.

The study said the economic and social costs of alcohol abuse reached
$7.4-billion in 2002, more than twice the $3.6-billion associated
with illicit drug use.

But Canadians' perceptions of the two problems were out of proportion
with those figures, the study found.

It said that while only 25% of Canadians identified alcohol abuse as
"very serious" national problem, 45% felt illicit drug use was "very serious."

"The divergence between the perceived seriousness and actual costs
points to the need to reset public misconceptions about the size and
scope of illicit drug abuse in Canada, especially injection drug use,
and to better educate Canadians about the significant and largely
unrecognized risks of alcohol," Rita Notarandrea, the centre's
director of research and policy, said in releasing the report.

The report comes after the minority Conservative government, building
on its law-and-order agenda, announced plans in its March 19 budget
to spend $64- million over the next two years to combat the use of
illegal drugs.

"Many serious crimes link back to the drug trade," Finance Minister
Jim Flaherty said in his budget speech. "Grow-ops or methlabs are
being found in residential neighbourhoods. Gangs distribute those
drugs. Then innocent people get hurt as a result of gang warfare."

The anti-drug money builds on existing program and initiatives worth
$385-million, some of which are aimed at tackling alcohol abuse. All
of the new money, however, is aimed at cracking down on illegal drugs
by targeting marijuana-growing operations and clandestine
methamphetamine labs and gangs and by beefing up investigative resources.

Gerald Thomas, one of the report's authors, said illicit drug use is
a significant drain on the Canadian economy. But he said
policy-markers should not exclude alcohol from any stepped up
strategy to combat drug abuse.

"We are suggesting that given the costs that we're looking at, what
the costs are to society, that alcohol should not be left out."

Mr. Thomas said a 2002 study sponsored by the centre showed that in
crimes involving substance abuse, alcohol tends to have more of a
correlation with violent crime than illicit drugs do.

The study said 49% of murders, attempted murders and assault were
attributable to drugs and/or alcohol. Five per cent were attributable
to drugs only, 28% to alcohol only, and 16% were attributable to a
combination of alcohol and illicit drugs.