Alcohol is worse than heroin or cannabis

Destructive for humans and society: Scientists claim that alcohol is worse than heroin

Alcohol is more dangerous than heroin and cannabis. British researchers led by renowned University of Bristol specialist and pharmacologist David Nutt have re-evaluated the most widely used drugs and their findings in the current issue of the journal „The Lancet“ released. Accordingly, alcohol ranks first in terms of the destructive power of humans and society.

Alcohol as destructive as no other drug
Similar to the drug report of the German Federal Government, the researchers led by David Nutt come to the conclusion that heroin, crack and metamphetamine can be considered in their direct effect on humans as the deadliest drugs. However, taking into account the social impact, alcohol is by far the most destructive drug. Only then do heroin and crack follow. Marijuana, ecstasy and LSD, on the other hand, have been classified by the scientists as significantly less destructive. According to British researchers, alcohol has a particularly great potential for destroying families or influencing other people around them. In addition, he caused by far the highest consequential costs in health and social services. According to experts from David Nutt, alcohol is especially dangerous because of its widespread use. In addition, not only are consumers directly affected, but their environment is also particularly affected. The contract for the study has been commissioned by the British Center for Crime and Justice Studies.

Alcohol damages the whole organ system
Other scientists, including Professor of Psychiatry and Addiction at the Free University of Amsterdam, Wim van den Brink, also supported David Nutt's position in the current release. „Just think about what happens at every football match, "writes van den Brink in a commentary on the release of „The Lancet also pointed out that excessive drinking damages almost the entire organ system and that alcohol abuse is not only linked to higher death rates, but that it is generally more prevalent in law-breaking than other drugs, including heroin.

Legal classification of intoxicants
The new identified drug ranking therefore leads directly to the discussion about the legal classification of the various intoxicants. That is, on the one hand raises the question of whether alcohol has been handled so far perhaps too loose and on the other hand, it is to be considered whether other intoxicants were not too harshly regulated.

Regarding the legal regulation of alcohol consumption, however, the scientists make it clear that despite the destructive power for people and society, a ban on alcohol, as in the United States at the time of prohibition, would not solve the problem. For example, Leslie King, one of the authors of the study and adviser to the European Drug Administration, stresses: „Alcohol is too rooted in our culture, it can not simply be removed.“ Instead of a prohibition, the experts therefore recommend using awareness campaigns specifically addressed to the frequent drinkers and the majority of people who take only sporadically alcohol, not to confront with unnecessary teaching attempts. Raising prices on the part of governments would, in the opinion of the British scientists, also be an appropriate way to reduce alcohol consumption in our society.

Drug policy: topic with conflicts
On the question of the legal classification of the various drugs or their classification in „legal“ and „illegal“, According to David Nutt, a revision of the classification of substances with relatively harmless social and physical consequences is appropriate. As a former British Government Drug Commissioner under Prime Minister Gordon Brown, despite massive protests from his side, Mr Nutt had to watch as Britain significantly tightened penalties for marijuana possession in 2009, for example. This state drug policy contradicts the findings of research, Nutt had criticized the actions of politicians at that time. And when he continued to emphasize in lectures that LSD, ecstasy and cannabis are safer than alcohol and tobacco, the British government simply dismissed him from his post as a drug commissioner.

Disregard of science for political reasons
With the results of the current study, Nutt sees his position strengthened, reiterating his earlier allegation that science is often disregarded for political reasons. A similar conclusion draws his Dutch colleague van den Brink with the statement: „What governments declare illegal is not always supported by the findings of science“. For example, political decisions on tobacco and alcohol are always accompanied by considerations about possible tax revenues. It is clear that „legal drugs (...) cause at least as much damage as illegal ones“, David Nutt explained. For example, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 2.5 million people die every year from the effects of alcohol consumption. Including the deaths from heart and liver diseases or car accidents, which in turn are directly related to the consumption of alcohol. (fp, 02.11.2010)

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Image: Christoph Aron (pixelmaster-x)