Alcohol’s wide impact needs to be curbed

BEING neither a smoker nor a drinker of alcohol, I have no ‘‘axe to grind’’, but it is hard to believe the disparity toward a smoker and an alcohol drinker when the facts of alcohol usage in our area are put on paper.

On one hand, smokers, who choose to smoke, only cause harm to themselves, although the escalation in the price of tobacco products is now at such a level that some dairy owners live in fear of breakins, damage to their property, loss of stock and in some cases physical harm.

It was also recently suggested that smoking should be banned outright.

On the other hand, in many cases those who drink alcohol to excess are often responsible for drunken assaults, domestic violence, accidents, sometimes fatal, caused by driving while over the alcohol limit, with huge costs to police time, court time and community damage.

Although these are the facts of the matter, the consumption of alcohol carries on with no sign of abating, with some premises open till 4am and no doubt other possible outlets in the pipeline.

These disturbing statistics — as reported in the ODT on May 28 — show figures from the Queenstown Lakes District Council revealing there are now 259 licensed premises in the QLDC area.

The council communications adviser stated, even if the authority wished to cap numbers, there was no easy way to do so under the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act.

And a Queenstown senior sergeant has said nearly all the resort’s police work is alcohol related.

Surly there is enough evidence to show things need to change? Sitting on hands procrastinating is not the way to achieve anything.

Loris King

Wanaka

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Better respite care

CONGRATULATIONS to Prof Ferguson, who is negotiating to establish a purposebuilt facility to provide an integrated respite programme for disabled children. There is a desperate need for this.

The difficulties in caring for a disabled child — whether physical or intellectual — are numerous and affect all members of the family.

Often the relationship between the mother and father deteriorates to such an extent that the father leaves the home, leaving the mother as sole carer.

If there are other children in the family, time is devoted extensively to the disabled child, at the expense of the siblings, which in turn causes more issues within the family. They all need a time of respite.

Respite is provided for families caring for elderly members of the family. There should be the same for parents of disabled children.

I hope Prof Ferguson and his team are able to do this.

Elizabeth Cunningham

Mosgiel

Looking after stock

A FEW months ago, on a very hot summer afternoon, I stopped at a traffic light next to a threestoreyhigh truck and trailer carrying sheep. I could see enough of the animals through the cracks in their transport to see they were wedged tightly together, certainly unable to move their bodies.

I wondered how they’d feel over the next few hours on their way to the abattoirs north of Dunedin, or perhaps to be loaded on a ship, where they’d spend four to five weeks in similar conditions before getting their throats cut in the traditional Muslim method: blood caught in a bucket.

It’s somewhat ironic that we’ve become live exporters of sheep and cattle when, not so long ago, refrigeration became the life blood of an industry that allowed us to be one of the world’s biggest meat exporters.

Why do we have to subject our livestock to other people’s standards and customs of terminating an animal’s life? I. Williams

Dunedin

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