The government of Ontario may have the right idea when it comes to mandatory drug tests for welfare recipients, because it doesn't want them "shooting their welfare cheques up their arms." (Social Services Minister John Baird) I would take this issue a step further. Experts agree that gambling is the new drug of choice since the early 1990s. Although nothing is ingested, the addiction to gambling is no less harmful or no easier a habit to kick than is heroin. Pathological gamblers will commit crimes to support their habit and will neglect their own health and disregard the welfare of their family. Pathological gambling has a higher attempted suicide rate than drugs or alcohol. Welfare cheques are being recycled through video lottery terminals, casinos, race tracks, and lotteries, but that is not an issue that governments would profit from by correcting. Perhaps caseworkers from Social Services armed with photographs of their clients should start visiting the local bars and remove anybody from their roles that can afford to gamble. But the gaming industry thrives on the misery of those that can least afford to gamble, and the gaming industry is the government. Are they forgetting that liquor and tobacco are also drugs? Should people on social assistance not be allowed to smoke or drink? The reality is that anything the government can profit by is legal and socially acceptable and when it comes to profiteering, the governments hate competition.
Sol Boxenbaum
CEO
Viva Consulting
www.vivaconsulting.com
