Pubdate: Wed, 05 Apr 2000
Source: Halifax Daily News (CN NS)
Copyright: 2000 The Daily News.
Contact:  http://www.hfxnews.southam.ca/
Author: Matthew M. Elrod

MAKE JUNK FOOD ILLEGAL

To the editor:

Health-care costs associated with obesity rival the costs associated with 
tobacco (Obesity Big Problem in N.S., The Daily News, March 30), but the 
costs of either dwarf the health-care costs associated with all illicit 
drugs combined.

About 40 per cent of the population is obese and somewhat less smoke 
tobacco. About 10 to 15 per cent smoke cannabis, but less than one per cent 
of the population smokes cannabis daily.

Given our success in the war on tobacco and drugs, we should seek monetary 
compensation from snack-food companies and mandate warning labels on 
snack-food packaging. We should prohibit snack foods and criminalize anyone 
found in possession of them.

Granted, snack-food prohibition would be constitutionally questionable. It 
would clog our justice system, corrupt police, trample civil rights and 
finance organized crime through power-diverting basement bakeries in our 
neighbourhoods.

Granted, snack-food traffickers would develop more potent and easily 
concealed confections of questionable toxicity and purity. But doing 
anything less sends a message to the kids that obesity is socially 
acceptable. Just say "no, thank you."

Matthew M. Elrod
Victoria, B.C.
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart