British Scientists Name Alcohol Most Dangerous Drug

British scientists from the Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs (ISCD) have named alcohol the most dangerous drug after they have assessed its combined harmful effects on the users and people around them.

Alcohol turns out to be three times more dangerous than tobacco or cocaine on the new scale of drug harm that classifies the damages the users cause to themselves and the society, with crack cocaine and heroin ranking second and third.

Ecstasy has been ranked number eight on the list of the most harmful drugs, according to the new classification.

Professor David Nutt from the Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs said the research findings confirmed that the society should target alcohol as the necessary and valid strategy on drugs abuse. He also noted that the current classification is poorly related to the evidence of drug damage.

Tobacco and alcohol are both legal for adult people not only in Britain but everywhere else in Europe and North America, however such drugs as LSD, cannabis and ecstasy are illegal in most countries and may carry a prison term if used.

Nutt, in his statement on the subject of the study, said it was a surprise that the two legal drugs should score so highly on the scale, pointing out that they can do no less harm than the illegal drugs.

According to the World Health Organization, alcohol causes 2.5 million deaths each year resulting from cancer, suicides, road accidents and liver and heart diseases, making up 3.8% of all deaths.

The scientists’ assessment of drugs was based on a combined criteria that rated the damage the drugs cause to those who used it and to people around them. Among the damages to the user the scientists looked into such things as loss of relationships, drug dependence, damage to health and drug-specific death, while damages to the others took into the account economic cost, family conflict, environmental damage and crime.

On a scale of 100 points, the scientists gave alcohol 72 points, heroin 55 and crack 54, which makes alcohol the most dangerous drug. Among other drugs assessed were cocaine with a score of 27, cannabis with 20, ecstasy with 9, and magic mushrooms with 5.

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