Halifax defence analyst thinks ‘dry’ Navy ships having unintended consequences
Posted Feb 28, 2017 05:22:42 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
HALIFAX – As the investigation continues into drug and alcohol use within the Royal Canadian Navy in Halifax, some wonder if the total banishment of booze aboard ship is playing a role.
Leading Seaman Kristopher Stow, who served aboard HMCS Montreal, was arrested in December on a number of drug charges which leads defence anaylst Ken Hansen to wonder why these charges are becoming more prevalent.
Hansen, a resident research fellow at Dalhousie University’s Centre for Foreign Policy Studies, said the Navy banned alcohol aboard ships in 2014 after an incident in San Diego but he wonders if its having unintended consequences.
He said sailors now look to get “their fix” when they hit port with drugs and alcohol, leading many to get “whitehorsed, they get blind drunk, they just get blitzed” when they do finally unwind.
“The stress is driving them to it and the old expression ‘you’re driving me to drink’ is being used amongst the sailors to criticize their leadership,” he said.
Hansen believes allowing members to have a beer after a hard day on deployment will go a long way to ease on-the-job stress.
“Not being able to have a beer in your mess, which is the naval equivalent of your rec room, is just onerous.”
