From Beverage to Drug: Alcohol and Other Drugs in 1960s and 1970s Canada

Abstract

In the 1960s, influenced by the single distribution of consumption model, Canadian alcohol experts broadened their notions of alcohol problems beyond the individual “alcoholic” or “problem drinker.” They also attempted to place greater emphasis on prevention as opposed to treatment of alcohol problems. The Department of National Health and Welfare, Ontario’s Addiction Research Foundation, other provincial alcohol and drug commissions, academics and the treatment community responded to the “drug crisis” of the late 1960s and early 1970s with the argument that ethanol was society’s most damaging drug. The intent was to garner more resources for substance abuse prevention and treatment and to de-stigmatize the use of illegal drugs. This essay examines the background and genesis of the “alcohol and other drugs” movement, which was recognized by the LeDain Commission, and assesses its long-term impact on public health.