Will Health Canada update the new alcohol guidelines? Duclos won’t say

The researchers need Health Canada to update the effects on its online page to inform the public about safe levels of alcohol consumption.

And the federal Minister of Health, Jean-Yves Duclos, that Canadians deserve to have access to this “important advice”.

The Canadian Center on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) released a report funded through Health Canada in January stating that clinical evidence from around the world suggests that no amount of alcohol is and that the low threat is explained as a consistent two drinks per week, rather than two drinks per day, based on their previously recommended limits from 2011. But the earlier information remains on the federal agency’s site.

Duclos said other people want the latest and most reliable knowledge online to make decisions about alcohol use and well-being.

“I think that each and every Canadian deserves to know what the experts believe,” he said in an interview. “At the end of the day, it’s up to other people to decide. They want easy access to the kind of data you have for them.

However, Duclos said it may simply not say if the site will be updated. It was referred to Minister for Mental Health and Addiction Carolyn Bennett, but a spokeswoman for her said the minister was not available for comment.

In a statement, Bennett’s office said the government “will continue to engage with Canadians on policies to address alcohol-related harm and the most productive approaches to disseminating data on alcohol-related risks. ” of alcohol”.

“It is imperative to do these paintings before proceeding with the completion of the rapid address team and communication methods.

However, Bennett has not committed to requiring cautionary labels on alcohol containers, as the report recommends. He said in February that he hoped the industry would voluntarily take up the labeling issue.

Dr. Peter Butt, who co-chaired the CCSA steering assignment, said background data must be provided through Health Canada to show that of the federal government for the assignment it funded.

“We are talking about a cultural and political renewal that does not happen overnight. But you know, other people would like to see the government do the right thing,” he said of the replacement of the previous guidelines, which set weekly limits of 15 popular drinks for men and 10 for women.

“I’m confident that Health Canada is addressing this as the Americans did when the rules were published,” Butt said, adding that the evidence reviewed by the researchers raises several questions: “What do we want to do to answer that? What is ours. And where do we stand in terms of tolerance for threats, politically and economically instead of doing the right thing? »

He called alcohol a “complicated product” in the way it is marketed, including as a potentially high-risk product related to fitness disorders and the emerging costs of fitness care.

But also Bennett’s stance on leaving the cautionary label factor to the spirits industry.

“It doesn’t provide any indication. It’s just going to kick the box one more time in the future. And what do you think the tobacco industry would have done if they had been told to voluntarily put labels on their cigarette packs,” said Butt, who He is also a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan. His clinical and research work focuses on substance use disorders.

Canadian winemakers said they are developing a QR code that can be voluntarily placed on alcohol boxes to direct consumers to a message warning against disposing of alcohol with increased risk of serious long-term illness and potential negative effects on the relationships.

Butt called the technique “infomercials” on Internet sites aimed at selling the industry’s monetary interests rather than offering consumers the data they want directly on liquor packaging.

“Alcohol is not a commodity. He has a story. It is embedded in our culture. There is an economy attached to that,” he said.

Dr. Tim Naimi, director of the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (CISUR) at the University of Victoria, said the latest rules are based on clinical evidence and can be used to set policies such as federal taxation, availability alcohol physics. , and remedy interventions to minimize their damage.

“In fact, I hope that Health Canada will step up and play an active role in at least that facet of making things better,” he said of the company that issued CASA’s updated guidance, to which he brought his expertise.

Preliminary effects from CISUR’s latest edition of the ongoing studies task on the evaluation of Canadian alcohol policy, which assesses the extent to which provincial and federal governments are implementing policies, show that all thirteen provinces and territories sell alcohol at a loss, that taxpayers subsidize sales. Nami said.

“There is a lot to be done in Canada to improve people’s fitness and well-being in relation to alcohol. And I think the recommendation is a vital component in reshaping that kind of conversation. So of course I’m afraid word will get out.

The previous rules related to fitness concerns, Naimi said, adding: “I can’t understand why (Health Canada) wouldn’t at least publish the news. “

Catherine Paradis, acting director of CCSA, who along with Butt led the orientation project, said plans were underway to launch an outreach crusade to teach the public online, through law firms. doctors and organizations about the dangers related to alcohol consumption.

“We get applications,” he said with interest from organizations such as the Canadian Cancer Society and the Canadian Liver Foundation.

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