Associated Press- LONDON (AFP) â Alcohol is more harmful than illegal drugs like heroin and crack cocaine, a new study said Monday. Scientists looked at the dangers to both the individual and to wider society and found that alcohol was the most dangerous substance, according to the study by the Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs (ISCD). The results fly in the face of long-held opinions about which drugs pose the greatest dangers, with the authors claiming they demonstrate "the present drug classification systems have little relation to the evidence of harm." "They also accord with the conclusions of previous expert reports that aggressively targeting alcohol... is a valid and necessary public health strategy," said the authors. Drug experts on the committee devised their own system to judge substances and believe their consensus provides a valuable assessment which could guide policymakers. The research, published in medical journal The Lancet, looked at the how much a drug harms the human body as well as other factors such as what its use costs the health care and prison systems. Heroin, crack cocaine and methamphetamine -- or crystal meth -- were found to be the most deadly. But when the wider social effects were factored in, alcohol was the most dangerous, followed by heroin and crack cocaine, said the study. Substances were given a mark from zero to 100 based on certain criteria, with alcohol scoring 72 overall followed by 55 for heroin and 54 for crack. One of the study's authors was David Nutt, a former British government drugs adviser during the previous Labour administration. He was sacked after a disagreement with the government over the decision to upgrade the classification of cannabis. The ISCD says its remit is to investigate and review scientific evidence relating to drugs, free from political concerns.
That's all bullshit. Anyone who thinks alcohol is worst than Meth or Heroin is plain nuts. Isn't it great that we have governments pissing away money on this non sense?
"Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs (ISCD)" I didn't get government out of that. Where did you? It said that Meth and Heroine are more deadly (of course they are they are illegal, and hence unregulated). It said that alcohol is more harmful to society overall. (Meth heads and heroine addicts usually aren't getting in fights, driving around like drunks etc) Anyhow, I'm sure you know better than that stupid scientific committee...
Common sense tells you they are wrong. Alcoholics live longer than Meth, Crack or Meth addicts which probably where they are coming from in that alcoholics are around longer to cause problems. What would you rather be addicted too? Be honest. BTW, Government funds everything in England.
Whiskey built the Erie Canal. On the flip side I suppose one could argue that various drugs are indirectly responsible for the electric grid in South America.
I'm an admitted caffeine addict. Of course I'd rather be addicted to alcohol given those choices, because alcohol is LEGAL. Most of the harm which comes from drugs, comes from the fact that they are illegal. If all the substances were legal, regulated, and widely available, I'd rather be addicted to opiates, as there have been numerous accomplished famous figures who were opium addicts... BTW, taxes are higher in parts of America than they are in the UK. A high earner will get a tax cut by going from NYC to London in most cases.
very stupid article with little facts to back it. As a recovering addict of both drugs and alcohol, I can say from experience those two drugs are FAR worse then alcohol UNLESS you are drunk and driving- that changes it all then.