The action in Parliament this week is around the Alcohol Reform Bill and the Government is leading a process of reform which will lead to better outcomes for the country when completed.
This is not an easy process to manage our way through as there are many opinions and plenty of advice on this topic. There is no doubt that when used in an irresponsible manner alcohol can be harmful. However, we need to remember that 95 per cent of New Zealanders manage their association with alcohol in a sensible, safe and sound manner.
Government is not about penalising those people in an attempt to save the few that let us down. It is time we put measures in place that give our communities more ability to manage alcohol and its use, and this bill does that.
It is also important that we put good education and guidelines around the use of alcohol.
The past week has seen a revival of the call to legalise cannabis, and it is hard to fathom this type of thinking at a time when all sorts of resource is being put into the effort to prevent the smoking of tobacco in this country. I guess it's a question of whether you addle your brain or your lungs first. There is no doubt that if we wish to harm ourselves we can; it's just a matter of which pathway we choose.
