London, Nov 1, IRNA – Alcohol is more harmful than heroin or crack, according to a study co-authored by the UK’s former chief drugs adviser Professor David Nutt.
The study, published in medical journal the Lancet, ranks 20 drugs on 16 measures of harm to users and to wider society. It judged tobacco and cocaine to be equally harmful, while ecstasy and LSD were among the least damaging.
The modelling exercise concluded that heroin, crack and methylamphetamine were the most harmful drugs to individuals, but alcohol, heroin and crack cocaine were the most harmful to others.
When the scores for both types of harm were added together, alcohol emerged as the most harmful drug, followed by heroin and crack.
The findings run contrary to the government’s long-established drug classification system, but the paper’s authors argue that their system – based on the consensus of experts – provides an accurate assessment of harm for policy makers.
‘Our findings lend support to previous work in the UK and the Netherlands, confirming that the present drug classification systems have little relation to the evidence of harm,’ the study said.
‘They also accord with the conclusions of previous expert reports that aggressively targeting alcohol harms is a valid and necessary public health strategy.’
Nutt was sacked from his government role last year after repeated clashes over Britain’s drug classification system. He later formed the Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs, which aims to investigate the drug issue without any political interference.