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A recently study done by the University of Victoria shows that while the Opioid Crisis is just that – a Crisis, it doesn’t kill the way two perfectly legal substances do. Contributing to 15 thousand deaths in 2014? Alcohol. The other substance that is at the top? Tobacco. The study at UVIC concluded that alcohol and tobacco kills 10 times more than any Opioid has. 10 times. And the great news continues when the report also says that the cost associated with alcohol abuse in 2014 was $15 Billion Dollars. Tobacco, $12 Billion dollars. The Opioid Epidemic doesn’t even come close in comparison at $3.5 Billion dollars. If you were wondering why government doesn’t outright ban tobacco and alcohol if it kills the way UVIC’s research says it does, perhaps some of those dollar figures will make it easier for you to understand why.

nmorrison@pulsefm.ca

@neiltalks