New drinking guidelines in Canada were accompanied by a call for warning labels on alcohol bottles, and a B.C. MP has already created just such a motion.
Nanaimo-Ladysmithsa国际传媒檚 Lisa Marie Barron, the NDPsa国际传媒檚 deputy critic for mental health and addictions, drafted a private membersa国际传媒檚 motion that was placed on notice last June, calling for a national warning label strategy for alcoholic products due to alcohol being sa国际传媒渁 major driver of morbidity and mortality in Canadasa国际传媒� and a sa国际传媒渟ignificant, modifiable contributor to many diseases including cancers.sa国际传媒�
The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction issued new guidance this week that recommends no more than two drinks per week, replacing previous guidelines of no more than two drinks per day. The new guidelines state that three to six drinks per week bring sa国际传媒渕oderate risksa国际传媒� and seven or more drinks per week bring sa国际传媒渋ncreasingly high risk.sa国际传媒�
Barron worked in the addictions field before being elected to Parliament and said that work formed a basis for her work on the file federally.
sa国际传媒淭heresa国际传媒檚 a glamourization of alcohol consumption and I saw the impacts quite frequently first-hand while working in addictions, and the lack of knowledge around the health impacts of alcohol consumption sa国际传媒� proven health implicationssa国际传媒a国际传媒� she said. sa国际传媒淭he most frustrating part is that many people are unaware of these potential preventable and modifiable diseases associated with alcohol consumption.sa国际传媒�
The MP held community consultation related to her notice of motion this past fall in Nanaimo and said one woman with whom she spoke said the new information might make her reconsider that second drink.
sa国际传媒淚sa国际传媒檓 hearing from constituents their stories, their experiences with alcohol, their family memberssa国际传媒� experiences with alcohol and how much they appreciate the work being done to bring this forward and ensure that wesa国际传媒檙e finally taking seriously the potential health concerns of alcohol consumption,sa国际传媒� she said.
Barronsa国际传媒檚 motion on warning labels wonsa国际传媒檛 be discussed in the House of Commons unless she raises it for debate the next time she has a chance to table private membersa国际传媒檚 business, which wonsa国际传媒檛 be until spring at the earliest.
She has read research about different kinds of warning labels and their impacts and said there are sa国际传媒渧ery specificsa国际传媒� recommendations about size, colour and use of images. She said a pilot project on alcohol warning labels in the Yukon ended early due to industry pressure and said thatsa国际传媒檚 one of the reasons why federal leadership is needed.
sa国际传媒淭his motion isnsa国际传媒檛 a judgment on alcohol consumption sa国际传媒� People can make the decisions that are best for them with this information,sa国际传媒� she said. sa国际传媒淏ut itsa国际传媒檚 completely unacceptable that Canadians donsa国际传媒檛 have access to this information and the ways in which alcohol consumption really impacts their health and the direct links there.sa国际传媒�
The drinking guidelines report, which noted that about three-quarters of Canadians drink alcohol, stated that sa国际传媒渁lcohol is a leading preventable cause of death, disability and social problems, including certain cancers, cardiovascular disease, unintentional injuries and violence.sa国际传媒�
The CCSA report noted that its main focus was on health conditions resulting in death, and didnsa国际传媒檛 examine sa国际传媒渋ntangible effects of alcohol use, including suffering related to adverse outcomes or social enjoyment from alcohol consumption.sa国际传媒�
Dan Malleck, a Brock University health sciences professor and a medical historian specializing in drug and alcohol policy, called the report irresponsible and said its authors sa国际传媒渃herry pickedsa国际传媒� data, considering thousands of studies but disregarding all but a few.
sa国际传媒淭heysa国际传媒檝e narrowed the focus of their study to the point where they find 16 studies that show harm and lo and behold, theresa国际传媒檚 harm,sa国际传媒� he said.
He said the report doesnsa国际传媒檛 consider any positive benefits to moderate alcohol consumption such as social aspects that can affect mental well-being. Alcohol, he said, is part of peoplesa国际传媒檚 lives in meaningful ways such as celebrations, get-togethers, or unwinding after a rough week.
sa国际传媒淎ll of these things are important to our sa国际传媒� biological, psychological and social health. The things that make us healthy are multi-dimensional,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淏ut when we reduce it down to just a dose response and donsa国际传媒檛 consider all of that other stuff, it does kind of miss the point of alcohol to start with.sa国际传媒�
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Canadasa国际传媒檚 Council of Chief Medical Officers of Health issued a statement that noted that the guidelines are sa国际传媒渁 first step in raising awarenesssa国际传媒� and will need to be accompanied by supporting programs and policies that will lead to improved health outcomes.
sa国际传媒淚t is also important to recognize that the risk for alcohol-related harms is strongly influenced by a range of factors in our social, economic, and physical environments,sa国际传媒� the council noted. sa国际传媒淭hese factors can include the accessibility and affordability of alcohol, exposure to alcohol marketing, social and cultural norms around drinking, coping with loss of cultural identity, racism, stigma and discrimination as well as economic resources.sa国际传媒�
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