So it seems convenient stores in Ontario want to draw in more customers by serving alcohol. Of course, there is a massive following in favor of easier access to beer, liquor and wine. Alcohol in convenient stores is a dangerous idea, though. The convenience of having such easy access to booze is risky on multiple levels – effecting the entire community.
Easy access to a vice such as alcoholic beverages is not always a good thing. Being able to buy a 24 case of Moosehead Lager about 50 meters from a residential area is just too tempting for alcoholics. Picture this: an alcoholic has been sober for 10 years. That alcoholic just ran over to Mac's for some milk. They see Captain Jack's Spice Rum on sale. They think, "Oh, it'll just be nice to have for guests," and they buy it. That alone could be the victory of a man or woman's inner demons. It is just too tempting. Another group who would be attracted to some sweet amber ale would be minors, with their overpowering curiosity. Here is another scary scenario: a group of four or five 7th-graders just got off school and head across the street to get some chocolate. They see rows and rows of tallboys. Each kid steals 2 or 3 cans of beer. They go over to a park and drink them. The smallest child in the group drinks more than his inexperienced body can handle. Children do not have the know-how or the developed immune system and liver to be able to handle alcohol. That smallest child does not know that his body will reject the alcohol once he chugs two and a half Corona's due to his lack of food in his stomach and his body weight.
Having wine next to milk also encourages regular drinking, leading away from moderation. It is easy for someone to develop a routine of every Friday getting a case of beer and a lottery ticket to end off their week. Now that routine sounds fine, a little expensive, but not dangerous. The problem is that it could easily turn into Wednesday and Friday, then Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and just goes on like that until a person can't get through the day sober.
