Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced that he disagrees with the recommendations of the province's chief medical officer and raising the legal drinking age by two years. Ontario's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Kieran Moore, in his annual report, recommended new restrictions on alcohol and vaping and decriminalized it. He mentioned drugs for personal use.

The report, which was published at the end of March, called for warning labels to be placed on alcoholic beverages, detailing the dangers of drinking, including cancer. It has also been recommended that the idea of raising the legal drinking age from 19 to 21 be considered. Asked about the recommendation on Wednesday, Ford thanked Dr Kieran Moore but said he was opposed to the proposal.

"He has his opinion and we have ours," he said. We believe that we should treat people like adults."

"All over the world, you can go to a small store or a big box store and buy a bottle of wine with your steak, maybe a six-pack of beer," Ford added Wednesday. This is what we think is right."

Citing recently released data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information, the annual report found that 33 percent of adults used marijuana in 2020, up eight percent from 2019. Also, the number of Ontarians who died from alcohol poisoning increased by 16% between 2018 and 2021.

However, Ford noted, the fact that 19-year-olds can join the Canadian military means they should also be allowed to drink alcohol.

17-year-olds can enlist in the military with parental permission, while 18-year-olds are allowed to enlist without a guardian's permission.

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