OPINION

Booze not a narcotic

Re: "Do the same with booze", (PostBag, June 29).

I read the would-be philosopher Felix Qui's nifty poetic prose comparing booze to buds, saying that: "...and if alcohol meets those [cannabis] criteria as well, then it too must be added to the list of controlled narcotics".

Well, gee whiz, the last time I checked, alcohol is not from the family of narcotic plants. It comes from yeast and sugar, and I should well know as I homebrewed beer in America for much of my life.

So you cannot add alcohol to any list of narcotics, and no, I have never seen a 7/11 in Thailand selling booze to five-year-olds, and yes, there is a five-year-old in the tavern I am writing this in. He's drinking a glass of milk with his dad. Yet, applying Mr Qui's logic, perhaps we should add milk to the list of narcotics, ban cigarettes, but legalise crack/cocaine. Mr Qui is a nice man, but with all due respect, he's getting carried away. Alcohol is not a narcotic, and to Mr Qui, I'd say I am less drunk than thee.

Testing is essential

Re: "New weed stance misses the mark", (Editorial, June 29).

The Post's editorial also misses the mark. Thailand, like the rest of the world, urgently needs science to be less political and health policy to become more scientific.

In Thailand, there is effectively no independent laboratory safety testing of cannabis, food, alcohol (except to collect tax on the alcohol content), tobacco, or consumer products such as cosmetics and household cleansers.

Without comprehensive testing, there is no practical basis for regulating these industries, and so the law is rendered useless for protecting people.

Tobacco is a highly lucrative government monopoly that causes death and disability.

On the way to their demise, smokers pour money into the pockets of hospitals and doctors for cancer cures that seldom work (the cures that do work are illegal) and painkillers that are addictive.

Alcohol kills, too, but a tax on alcohol fills government coffers, so let's encourage drunk drivers by not policing our roads.

Smoking cannabis is also obviously harmful, but don't look too closely because certain politicians garner votes from it.

Plastic is killing us, yet we only have nominal regulations limiting its use. Refined sugar and processed foods cause severe harm and retardation in our children, but hey, they're a sweet deal!

One could go on and on, but the point is obvious. If wealthy people profit, we cannot stop them under our corrupt system of government.

The protesters are right -- change is urgently needed!