File Photo (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By James Peters

Two and Out

PETERS: Funny how some psychoactive substances are acceptable in public and some aren’t

Jun 13, 2025 | 12:30 PM

IT’S NICE THAT UBER is coming to Kamloops. Our community could use some more safe options for people to get home — especially now that we’re allowing liquor consumption in Riverside Park.

Council has authorized a pilot program that will make it okay to consume liquor responsibly in a certain area of the park during certain hours.

That means people should not be overimbibing in the park, but wishes don’t wash the dishes, as they say. The reality may prove to be something else.

This summer won’t be the first appearance of booze in our signature park.

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It’s regular practice for events like RibFest to have beer gardens. Sometimes, a patron will have too much, but for the most part, it’s under control.

And that’s not to mention the dozens of folks who already regularly use liquor in the park — and everywhere else in Kamloops — without it having any impact on other people.

The social acceptance of alcohol compared to other psychoactive substances is fascinating.

We allow beer and wine to be sold in grocery stores, for example, but do not allow cannabis sales there. Cigarettes aren’t even sold in grocery stores anymore.

All are psychoactive and potentially harmful.

It’s estimated 3.7 per cent of the world’s adult population live with alcohol addiction.

In 2019 alone, 2.6 million deaths around the world were directly attributable to alcohol consumption.

That’s not to say the use of other substances is not also potentially destructive. But some of them we accept as normal in our society and some we hit with the stigma.

Folks come to work on Monday morning and tell stories of their liquor use from the weekend. They do not come to work and talk about how much methamphetamine they used on the weekend. Or how much crack they smoked.

In Canada, whether a person uses alcohol or cannabis or any other substance to alter their mental state isn’t just a consequence of legality — it’s also a consequence of general social acceptance.

When all is said and done, this pilot project allowing liquor in Riverside Park probably won’t have a huge impact on the community.

Some folks will take advantage, some folks won’t.

Just having the discussion, though, begs the question of why some substance use is accepted in public places and why some is not.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.