Alcohol left out of health promotion for young people? CMAJ 1997;157:1018 See response from: J.W. Mackie We read the article, "School-based health promotion: the physician as advocate" (CMAJ 1997;156:1301-5 [full text / résumé]), by Dr. J. William Mackie and Peter Oickle, with interest. It is heartening to see that some physicians acknowledge their responsibility in school and community health promotion and are prepared to devote time and effort to it. We were puzzled, however, to see smoking, but no other substance abuse, listed among the 8 "complex health and social risks" facing Canadian children today. In fact, the sole reference specifically to alcohol is as the 35th of 36 elements of the comprehensive school health approach. "Restrictions on alcohol abuse" follows "ban on tobacco use" but is far less stringent. We commend the tobacco abuse program adopted by the CMA and the Canadian Association for School Health. Judging from this article, however, one might infer that physicians and school health professionals have assigned a lower priority to abuse of alcohol and other drugs. Doesn't alcohol abuse in the schools demand at least as urgent and radical action as smoking? Perhaps smoking is viewed as a more important target, to be dealt with first. Or are we facing a more general problem: ambivalence toward an old friend? Patrick D. McCarthy, MD Patricia McCarthy, MHSc Toronto, Ont. Send a letter to the editor responding to this letter Envoyez une lettre à la rédaction au sujet de cette lettre | CMAJ October 15, 1997 (vol 157, no 8) / JAMC le 15 octobre 1997 (vol 157, no 8) |