Published Jun 08, 2025 • 1 minute readPublished research has repeatedly shown that ease of access, in particular low prices, drives up alcohol consumption. Photo by SaltWire Network /SaltWire NetworkRe: ‘Cheers … or not? Why Canada’s drinking age patchwork is holding us back.’ Cape Breton Post, June 5.Sylvain Charlebois’s recent commentary listed above points out that the minimum age to legally drink varies across Canadian provinces. He goes on to argue that drinking ages should be standardized to achieve lower prices and wider selection.Uniform drinking ages across Canada are fine with me. However, the idea that alcohol policies should be based on goals of lower prices is troubling.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentHere’s why:Alcohol kills about 17,000 Canadians per year. Alcohol harms are most visible in heavy drinkers, but, surprisingly, alcohol imposes most of its deaths on drinkers who drink moderately, claiming lives by alcohol-induced cancer and many other diseases.On the money side, alcohol drags down the Canadian economy because alcohol’s $20 billion cost for health care, criminal justice and lost workplace productivity widely exceeds the industry’s economic benefits.Published research has repeatedly shown that ease of access, in particular low prices, drives up alcohol consumption. This in turn intensifies alcohol’s health and economic harms. Because most people who die from alcohol are moderate drinkers, this grim reality cannot be dodged by “responsible drinking.”Charlebois is an economist. I will therefore ask him a question that concerns economics only: How is the public interest served by basing alcohol policies on goals that increase alcohol’s net damage to the Canadian economy?David CairnsAdjunct Professor of BiologyUniversity of Prince Edward IslandArticle content
LETTER: Lower prices shouldnt be a goal of alcohol policies
