Alcohol More Harmful than LSD and Ecstasy

The chief drug adviser for the UK government, Professor David Nutt, has made the implication that cannabis, ecstasy and LSD aren’t as dangerous as both cigarettes and alcohol. This comes as he attacks the decision of the government to upgrade cannabis to a Class B drug. He also accused former Home Secretary Jacqui Smith of devaluing and distorting scientific research.

Nutt says that the risk of cannabis creating psychotic illness is relatively small. He then added that drugs like tobacco and alcohol should be ranked according to a harm index, for which alcohol would be ranked fifth behind barbiturates, cocaine, methadone and heroin (not in that order), and tobacco would be ranked ninth above ecstasy, cannabis and LSD (again…not in that order). These views have been published in the King’s College London’s Centre for Crime and Justice briefing paper.

This isn’t the first time that the professor has suggested a harm scale for drugs, and it’s not the first time he has recommended that alcohol be rated higher than drugs like LSD. Plus, earlier this year Nutt said that using ecstasy is no more dangerous than riding a horse frequently. However, he does point out that he isn’t trying to insinuate that drugs aren’t harmful, but there is still a question of the degree and scale of that harm.

These belief are widely criticized, as they may give the wrong impression among other things. There are times when teenagers and young adults will get into alcohol or drugs during a depressing time in their life, and these views may lead them to believe that taking LSD or ecstasy or smoking cannabis would be better for them than smoking cigarettes or drinking alcohol. But in the world of reality, one is just as bad as the next.

Written by Tiffany Betts on October 29, 2009 · Filed Under Entertainment, Health 

Comments

One Response to “Alcohol More Harmful than LSD and Ecstasy”

  1. Frank on October 31st, 2009 11:51 am

    The National Statistics 2007 report has listed the number of drug related deaths recorded in coroners reports for England and Wales in 2005.

    Tobacco 86,500
    Alcohol 6,627
    Heroin 842
    PARACETAMOL 446
    All anti-depressants 401
    Methadone 223
    Cocaine (including crack) 176
    Amphetamine 103
    MDMA/Ecstasy 58
    ASPIRIN 14

    And, wait for it….

    Cannabis 0
    (but, it was recorded that in 19 of the deaths that were related to alcohol or heroin the person had taken cannabis too.)

    Obviously, when reclassifying cannabis as a B class controlled substance, next January, the Home Secretary needs to consider classifying paracetamol and aspirin as well!