COMMON SENSE

Do you know that responsible drinkers only account for about half of a
given brewers sales?

Gross alcohol consumers account for the other half. The harms
associated with alcohol abuse are responsible for millions of dollars
in health care costs across Canada every year.

We need to be aware that advertising in our society always has a
target audience, and in many cases that is teenage youth and
adolescents. Different approaches/opinions are held in treating this
problem.

When I hear proponents for marihuana legalization expressing their
view I can't help but consider that our one licit substance, alcohol
creates more harms than all other drugs combined.

So legalization of marihuana is supposed to work? I think not. But you
decide.

The logic is simple, if it doesn't work for alcohol, how will it work
for marihuana or any other illicit drug for that matter?

At a recent conference I heard numerous opinions on this and other
issues.

However, the views I respect the most are not academia with theories,
though they have their respective place.

But when I speak with the self-professed addicts that have broken the
cycle of drug abuse and hear about their experiences on the street,
their treatment process, challenges and effect on their families, the
message is brought home. One such female speaker commented, "By the
grace of God, I was busted". This wonderful lady had been through
years of drug abuse and needed to break the cycle.

There is your enforcement answer. With support networks in place, she
recently has hit the one year point of sobriety in her life, free of
the chain of drug abuse and she professes to never have been happier.

Nothing can replace hard research with strict controls to point to the
facts.

Children that live on the street are much more likely to be the
targets of abuse in numerous incidences than children under the
protection of a caring home environment, and that is obvious.

"Recreational drug use", now isn't that a statement.

So what is being recreated? I recently toured some of the coast with
Andree Cazabon, a woman who lived on the streets of Toronto at a very
young age, who spreads her message of caution to youth about the
dangers of drug abuse and road she has traveled. A youth advocate, she
is now a film producer with films/documentaries aired by CBC on drug
related issues and the child welfare system.

You can find out more about her on the website www.youthincare.ca. Her
life experiences are amazing and nothing delivers the message more to
youth than hearing from a person that has personally been through
these challenges. Thanks to the sponsorship of the local Rotary club
and others, her visit helped touch the lives of many youth, with plans
for her to return.

The truth is, drug and alcohol abuse have no positive outcomes, only
negative effects on your health, your family, your work and your future.

Stay clean, think smart and choose to make wise choices about drugs
and alcohol.