Monday, 25 March 2013

Risky alcohol use – why should we care?

Last fall when we released “It Starts Here –A Conversation about Alcohol in the City of Kingston” we had some interesting reactions.  Some were interested, some shared similar concerns, and some were unhappy and confused about why Public Health would be talking about things like alcohol policy.  Some see this conversation as another possible intrusion on the rights of individuals.

This past weekend’s St Patrick’s Day celebrations have once again brought the issue of risky alcohol use up as a topic of heated discussion. Is it really something to be concerned about or is it just people letting loose and enjoying themselves?
The Kingston Police reported several offences on their Facebook Page that kept them very busy:

  • 96 Liquor Licence Act violations (most for open alcohol, as well as charges for public intoxication and underage drinking)
  • 8 arrests for Public Intoxication
  • 6 Noise Bylaw violations (all but one relating to residences) 
  • 2 Highway Traffic Act violations
  • 2 Criminal Code occurrences:
    • Breach of Officer-in-Charge Undertaking by contravening no alcohol condition,
    • Breach of Court Order by contravening not to be in the Queen’s University area.
  • Impaired Driving
  • 1 warrant executed jointly by the Street Crime Unit and Community Services Unit on an illegal keg party on Couper St.  8.5 kegs of alcohol seized as well as over $300.

Why do these offences matter?  As a commenter stated in the Kingston Whig Standard's “Aberdeen Party Required Extra Police” article on March 19th, 2013

Sounds like the main offenses were nanny state violations about open alcohol and the like.

Is it as simple as that?  Are the main offences nanny state violations?  Some may think so, but let’s consider the impact that these offences have on the well being of a community.  Each offence has some level of negative effect on the Kingston community, some more than others. And as history has repeatedly shown, when alcohol is used in excess, harms are inevitable.  The impaired driver could have killed someone.  The illegal keg party could have led to a serious alcohol poisoning, or an assault.  The fire department needed to be called to clear the street because it couldn’t have accessed the street if there were a fire, which is a real possibility in the presence of risky drinking.  This is why we have the Liquor License Act and impaired driving laws, to try and balance the risks and benefits to society of this legal drug.  What about the costs to our health care system?  How many individuals ended up needing emergency care related to their own or someone else’s overconsumption of alcohol?  What if there had been an emergency requiring the police’s attention while they were enforcing liquor laws? What were the costs to the City for the cleanup of the street?  
This is what Public Health is about.  We work in partnership with agencies, community partners, and individuals to protect the health of the community and to promote health by creating healthy public policies that build strong and resilient communities.  We aren’t suggesting that celebrations such as St Patrick’s Day shouldn’t include alcohol, what we are asking is how can we as a community work together, young and old, student, citizen, employee, employer, business owner, etc to ensure alcohol is only a part of our good times? 

Friday, 15 March 2013

Celebrating St. Patrick


St. Patrick's Day 2012, Kingston, ON (Google images)
March 17th is fast approaching – a day to celebrate all things Irish.  St Patrick’s Day originated as the Feast of St. Patrick, a cultural and religious holiday named after the patron saint of Ireland.
Celebrating social and cultural holidays contribute to a positive sense of community, and for some can be a time for reflection and relaxation.  St. Patrick’s Day definitely brings people together as a community.  The importance of this day and reasons for celebrating are different for everyone.  What makes this day important for you?  Have you ever asked yourself - “What and why am I celebrating?” 

How did alcohol become such a big part of this particular holiday?  And as a community, should we be concerned?  Last year, the City of London had to respond to an out of control party that turned into a riot and made national news.  Meanwhile in Kingston, the Queen’s student ghetto area was at times a sea of green (and red) as students gathered on front lawns, sidewalks and rooftops, red solo cups in hand.  According to the Whig Standard local police logged 223 calls for service in 24 hours, many of which were for noise complaints.  Charges laid included Liquor License Act charges for public consumption and intoxication, and several for drinking and driving. 
There’s nothing wrong with throwing a party on St. Patrick’s Day or joining in on many of the local events planned.  But the neighbourhood disturbances and extreme drinking that has become a tradition over the last several years begs the question - how did this happen and what will the outcome be of this annual “tradition”?  Perhaps these are questions worth thinking about and talking about on this special holiday weekend. 

Enjoy St Patrick’s Day and Sláinte!

Thursday, 7 March 2013

Alcohol control in Ontario: How do we rate?



Where does Ontario stand compared to other provinces in Canada when it comes to alcohol policy?  We can’t be doing that bad, after all we have excellent policies in place to deter drinking and driving, we have government run retail alcohol sales, and we have policies in place to keep alcohol from being sold to minors.  Is there something else we should be doing?

According to a report launched by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) this week, Ontario is actually doing the best in comparison to their provincial counterparts on alcohol policy.  That is, if you consider 56% of a perfect score a provincial best. 

The report ranked the provinces on 10 key harm-reduction policies including pricing, availability, marketing, legal drinking age and warning labels.  The intent is to shed some light on what the provinces can do better in reducing the health and social harms from alcohol and to encourage provincial leaders to act. 
So where do we fall short?  The following lists a few areas for improvement
:
  • Pricing

Although we score well on having a policy to index alcohol prices to inflation, Ontario has not raised the prices on alcohol products to match inflation since 2006.

  • Alcohol Control System

In addition to the government run LCBO, beer sales in Ontario are through the private industry run Beer Store; in addition alcohol is available through ferment on premise (FOP) outlets, ferment at home kits, alcohol delivery services and online.

Product promotion and social responsibility messaging through the LCBO is greatly imbalanced.  There is extensive manufacturer sponsored product promotion that makes use of the LCBO logo and branding.

  • Marketing and Advertising

Even though there is a complaints process in place, consequences for violations of advertising guidelines are weak.

  • Provincial Alcohol Strategy

Ontario does not currently have a strategy to help coordinate and mobilize action on alcohol polices in the province.


According to Dr. Arlene King, in the Annual Report of the Chief Medical Officer of Health of Ontario, “we need a comprehensive alcohol control strategy for Ontario.  There have been a number of efforts to control alcohol use which have had a positive impact; however, many efforts are fragmented and are not sufficiently co-ordinated to address the harm associated with alcohol misuse in Ontario.”