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-Ladysmith鈥檚 Lisa Marie Barron, the NDP鈥檚 deputy critic for mental health and addictions, drafted a private member鈥檚 motion that was placed on notice last June, calling for a national warning label strategy for alcoholic products due to alcohol being 鈥渁 major driver of morbidity and mortality in Canada鈥� and a 鈥渟ignificant, modifiable contributor to many diseases including cancers.鈥�
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 鈥渕oderate risk鈥� and seven or more drinks per week bring 鈥渋ncreasingly high risk.鈥�
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.
鈥淭here鈥檚 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 鈥� proven health implications鈥︹�� she said. 鈥淭he most frustrating part is that many people are unaware of these potential preventable and modifiable diseases associated with alcohol consumption.鈥�
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.
鈥淚鈥檓 hearing from constituents their stories, their experiences with alcohol, their family members鈥� experiences with alcohol and how much they appreciate the work being done to bring this forward and ensure that we鈥檙e finally taking seriously the potential health concerns of alcohol consumption,鈥� she said.
Barron鈥檚 motion on warning labels won鈥檛 be discussed in the House of Commons unless she raises it for debate the next time she has a chance to table private member鈥檚 business, which won鈥檛 be until spring at the earliest.
She has read research about different kinds of warning labels and their impacts and said there are 鈥渧ery specific鈥� 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 that鈥檚 one of the reasons why federal leadership is needed.
鈥淭his motion isn鈥檛 a judgment on alcohol consumption 鈥� People can make the decisions that are best for them with this information,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 completely unacceptable that Canadians don鈥檛 have access to this information and the ways in which alcohol consumption really impacts their health and the direct links there.鈥�
The drinking guidelines report, which noted that about three-quarters of Canadians drink alcohol, stated that 鈥渁lcohol is a leading preventable cause of death, disability and social problems, including certain cancers, cardiovascular disease, unintentional injuries and violence.鈥�
The CCSA report noted that its main focus was on health conditions resulting in death, and didn鈥檛 examine 鈥渋ntangible effects of alcohol use, including suffering related to adverse outcomes or social enjoyment from alcohol consumption.鈥�
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 鈥渃herry picked鈥� data, considering thousands of studies but disregarding all but a few.
鈥淭hey鈥檝e narrowed the focus of their study to the point where they find 16 studies that show harm and lo and behold, there鈥檚 harm,鈥� he said.
He said the report doesn鈥檛 consider any positive benefits to moderate alcohol consumption such as social aspects that can affect mental well-being. Alcohol, he said, is part of people鈥檚 lives in meaningful ways such as celebrations, get-togethers, or unwinding after a rough week.
鈥淎ll of these things are important to our 鈥� biological, psychological and social health. The things that make us healthy are multi-dimensional,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut when we reduce it down to just a dose response and don鈥檛 consider all of that other stuff, it does kind of miss the point of alcohol to start with.鈥�
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Canada鈥檚 Council of Chief Medical Officers of Health issued a statement that noted that the guidelines are 鈥渁 first step in raising awareness鈥� and will need to be accompanied by supporting programs and policies that will lead to improved health outcomes.
鈥淚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,鈥� the council noted. 鈥淭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.鈥�
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