Anti-drunk driving group supports Iqaluit beer wine store
Drinking goes down when government regulates alcohol, says MADD CEO
Mothers Against Drunk Driving is weighing in on whether the Nunavut government should open a pilot beer and wine store in the capital.
The territorial government has put forward the idea as a harm reduction approach, arguing that a direct-sales model would help curb bootlegging and binge-drinking, because the store would only sell beer and wine — not hard liquor.
“‘We know that when there’s a regulator and it’s the government, consumption levels go down," says Andrew Murrie, CEO of Mothers Against Drunk Driving Canada.
“Obviously with a small population and small operation, you’re not going to see it on a big scale like you would in a large province, but all the fundamentals are absolutely there.”
Murie says MADD Canada is not opposed to alcohol in general: only to people who distribute and consume alcohol irresponsibly.
He says there's no perfect system and people are always going to get hurt and killed in alcohol-related accidents.
MADD Canada has conducted several national studies on the harm caused by alcohol and best practices for controlling them.
The organization does not have a Nunavut Branch or representative.