2012-01-12, 04:12 PM
Satellite Wrote:I've always been against a "nanny state" myself.
But it's funny how people go insane over plans to restrict alcohol use. Alcohol is not restricted near as much as tobacco-products, even though alcohol usage has way bigger costs to society. Shouldn't law focus on the effect of an product on third party, not on how healthy it is for the person themself? Smoking may be more risky when it comes to the health of the smoker, but not when we talk about outsiders. Alcohol is way more harmful for other people and I don't mean health here. rapes, murders, molesting, traffic accidents, crimes... etc etc Many of the deaths caused by alcohol are -unlike in smoking- premature. The difference between smoking and drinking is that ethanol is a psychoactive drug.
The attitude on drinking, especially underage drinking is more approbative. Finnish study found that 1/3 of adults in Finland would actually accept teens drinking alcohol. Teenagers don't know how to drink moderately. Most of the time they will get drunk. Don't deny it, the stats are with me on this. Teenage drinking will also greatly increase chances of developing alcoholism or other problems in adulthood.
I really think that alcohol industry (just like Tobacco industry of course) is trying to defend their rights and trying to take down all laws that would affect their business. It's also harder for politicians, because most of the people drink alcohol, while smokers are clearly in the minority.
This..
You only recognize the negative impact alcohol has on society, and there's a lot but let's apply common sense to your biased rant.
435,000 vs 85,000, and that's alcohol related, cigerettes are just from smoking
Cigerettes are poison, alcohol has benefits to you in terms of health, in moderation of course. I would like to also bring up the point of why it's okay for the government to send me to war at the age of 18, yet I can't drink until 21, while britain is doing fine drinking age at 16. There's some truth to what happens if something is legal there's less risk of moderation problems. You don't have to over indulge because you don't know when that oppurtunity comes again, you can drink whenever you want. Blaming a substance that does have benefits on an individuals personal responsibility is exactly why your belief of "reason" isn't common sense in intellectuals eyes.