bejohnson
03-29-2008, 10:21 PM
Up drinking age to 21, board says (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080329.wxbooze29/BNStory/National/home)
CAROLINE ALPHONSO
From Saturday's Globe and Mail
March 29, 2008 at 8:18 AM EDT
TORONTO — An Ontario health board is calling on the provincial government to raise the legal drinking age to 21 from 19, saying that teenagers are most at risk of alcohol-related death or injury.
The Middlesex-London Health Unit voted this week in favour of the resolution, which will be passed along to the Association of Local Public Health Agencies conference in June for backing.
"It's a significant issue in our North American society, and it's time we did something about it," Mary Lou Albanese, the board's manager of chronic disease and injury prevention, said in an interview yesterday.
But even before the issue could gain any traction, it hit a nerve among young people, especially those who attend university and college in that area of the province.
Many students at the University of Western Ontario were discussing the issue with classmates yesterday, said David Simmonds, vice-president of the student union.
Some found it "humorous" because they felt the health board should recommend more programs to address the issue of consumption instead of simply looking to raise the legal drinking age, he said.
"I think the recommendation misses the mark by not really getting underneath the problem," said Mr. Simmonds, 22.
"If any message can be sent to the health unit it is that education is a lever to be pulling on here, not prohibition regulation."
Travis Mazereeuw, president of the Fanshawe College student union, echoed the sentiment, saying he was surprised that the health board agreed to recommend changing the legal drinking age.
"I really don't know where it came from. I haven't really seen or heard any serious issues about underage drinking," the 25-year-old said.
Mr. Mazereeuw acknowledged there are times were young people have a reckless attitude toward drinking, but he doesn't believe that raising the drinking age will necessarily solve the problem.
"Just by raising the drinking age is trying to get at the problem from a different angle where perhaps responsible drinking is something that needs to be promoted a little heavily over the age factor," he said.
Ms. Albanese said the board voted on a comprehensive strategy where raising the legal age was one of six resolutions.
The others included stricter alcohol-advertising standards and advocating to reduce the legal blood-alcohol concentration to 0.05 per cent from 0.08 per cent.
She said the latest statistics from 2001 show that of the 1,600 young people who died from injury per year nationally, 45 per cent were by motor-vehicle crashes and 40 per cent of that was a result of drinking and drinking.
"I believe it's necessary because they are the ones that are most at risk," Ms. Albanese said of raising the legal age.
For its part, the provincial government has no plans to change the age requirement. Ontario's legal age was increased in the late 1970s to 19 from 18.
In Quebec, the legal drinking age is 18. In British Columbia it is 19.
"It's for the children." :Yea right
Have one on us. :Beer :Thumb
CAROLINE ALPHONSO
From Saturday's Globe and Mail
March 29, 2008 at 8:18 AM EDT
TORONTO — An Ontario health board is calling on the provincial government to raise the legal drinking age to 21 from 19, saying that teenagers are most at risk of alcohol-related death or injury.
The Middlesex-London Health Unit voted this week in favour of the resolution, which will be passed along to the Association of Local Public Health Agencies conference in June for backing.
"It's a significant issue in our North American society, and it's time we did something about it," Mary Lou Albanese, the board's manager of chronic disease and injury prevention, said in an interview yesterday.
But even before the issue could gain any traction, it hit a nerve among young people, especially those who attend university and college in that area of the province.
Many students at the University of Western Ontario were discussing the issue with classmates yesterday, said David Simmonds, vice-president of the student union.
Some found it "humorous" because they felt the health board should recommend more programs to address the issue of consumption instead of simply looking to raise the legal drinking age, he said.
"I think the recommendation misses the mark by not really getting underneath the problem," said Mr. Simmonds, 22.
"If any message can be sent to the health unit it is that education is a lever to be pulling on here, not prohibition regulation."
Travis Mazereeuw, president of the Fanshawe College student union, echoed the sentiment, saying he was surprised that the health board agreed to recommend changing the legal drinking age.
"I really don't know where it came from. I haven't really seen or heard any serious issues about underage drinking," the 25-year-old said.
Mr. Mazereeuw acknowledged there are times were young people have a reckless attitude toward drinking, but he doesn't believe that raising the drinking age will necessarily solve the problem.
"Just by raising the drinking age is trying to get at the problem from a different angle where perhaps responsible drinking is something that needs to be promoted a little heavily over the age factor," he said.
Ms. Albanese said the board voted on a comprehensive strategy where raising the legal age was one of six resolutions.
The others included stricter alcohol-advertising standards and advocating to reduce the legal blood-alcohol concentration to 0.05 per cent from 0.08 per cent.
She said the latest statistics from 2001 show that of the 1,600 young people who died from injury per year nationally, 45 per cent were by motor-vehicle crashes and 40 per cent of that was a result of drinking and drinking.
"I believe it's necessary because they are the ones that are most at risk," Ms. Albanese said of raising the legal age.
For its part, the provincial government has no plans to change the age requirement. Ontario's legal age was increased in the late 1970s to 19 from 18.
In Quebec, the legal drinking age is 18. In British Columbia it is 19.
"It's for the children." :Yea right
Have one on us. :Beer :Thumb