Ecstasy, LSD and cannabis are less dangerous than alcohol and cigarettes, the Government’s chief drug adviser claims today. Professor David Nutt is calling for a new ‘index of harm’ to warn the public about the relative dangers of various substances.
He says alcohol should rank fifth, behind only cocaine, heroin, barbiturates and methadone, while tobacco should rank ninth, ahead of cannabis, LSD and Ecstasy.
His comments are likely to prove explosive, given the seniority of his position. Professor Nutt has also courted controversy in the past – by suggesting taking ecstasy was no more dangerous than riding a horse.
Article at the Mail
Would love to see Ben Golacre’s view on this – Phillis
oh delight – i can drink myself into an early grave and there was me thinking i was the goood samaritan.
Perhaps this is incredibly picky of me, but I would argue that he didn’t ‘suggest’ ecstasy was no more dangerous than horse riding, he showed it to be the case. More people take E than ride horses, more people die from horse riding than taking E. How can anyone suggest or interpret otherwise? There is room for argument about how that fact is used and interpreted certainly, but surely that goes beyond suggestion into the realm of genuine physical proof?
Having grown up with an chain smoking, alcoholic father (now deseased) I know first hand the destruction legal drugs can do on an individual and their family. Reports like this can be dangerous if they are misinterpreted. Alcohol IS one of the most harmful drugs, the mental and physical harm it does combined with social acceptability and availability. This does not detract however from the harm of any drug used irresponsibly. Mosqutioes kill more people than sharks, but that doesn’t make sharks any more safe.
It’s about time people realised that alcohol, tobacco, caffeine & of course pharmaceuticals are drugs too… drugs are drugs and all those holier than thou people who say they’re “against drugs” who smoke, drink alcohol, drink coke, etc are hypocrites!
I’m personally drug free, that’s my choice… but I believe all drugs should be made legal to tackle the crime associated with the dealers, etc.
pic related (she should have took some E’s)
I don’t drink or smoke but I’m cynical about new claims like this. Statistics are so subjective that you can draw several equally plausible conclusions from them. The problem with stuff like this is that rigorously conducted scientific tests of what can and can’t kill you would obviously be completely immoral to carry out so we rely on statistics.
You get stats that say that drinking a bit is good for you — but this is because people who drink a bit are more healthy than people who drink to excess and people who don’t drink often don’t because they are of ill health.
Is it me? or is that one smug looking horse?
This video is highly relevant to the topic of “drugs”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nq6N4kQK-KA
I think most people already know about these things, only the youngest don’t (so it’s mainly for those I guess). I don’t agree with this list. It’s a very personal matter. There is no real standard when it comes to a lot of things, as it is with these things. Most on these list are not recommended, for anyone. Self control you should be capeable of, as well as self knowledge (body and mind).
I agree with most of what is said but forcing the opinion “alcoholo and tobacco” are worse is making it harder for anyone to come to terms with this truth. The truth that yes XTC is practically harmless along with a some of the others. Anyhow it’ll never change no matter what anyone says. There are taxes to be paid and as long as they are being piad, why change eh.
this is also do with the way people use these various drugs, and the availability. eg most people do not use ecstacy or cannabis the way they use cigarettes. and more people use alcohol. incidentally, i once knew someone who /did/ chain smoke spliffs. and a quivering, paranoid wreck he was too.
Proff David Nutt (slightly unfortunate name) seems like a great guy. I would like to see more of the science behind his claims. He seems to be applying science to try an think out a new approach to how to handle drugs. This is important as the old approach has failed miserably.
- He just got sacked! hahaha – Phillis
Considering that there is no chemical addiction to LSD and no possibility for death-by-overdose, I’m not terribly surprised. Mind you, if every time someone went to go take a smoke, they took LSD instead… well, life would be a bit more interesting
So the drugs tsar is in favour of horse? Who knew….
It’s disgraceful that rather than let this open serious and rigorous debate about the issue of drugs classification, the Government has felt that its interests are better served by effectively CENSORING this topic and have asked for Prof. David Nutt’s resignation (as the popular euphemism for sacking without due process goes).
What’s worse is that Prof. Nutt was only appointed Chair of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs more than a year after he published a paper outlining the views for which he was unceremoniously sacked. The lancet paper from March 2007 is available here: http://bit.ly/2uVlnu
“- He just got sacked! hahaha – Phillis”
Yes well, culturally we tend to be rather adverse to change. Note that right now we are slowly heating up the planet with very unpredictable results. It is far from an insoluble problem. Inertia seems to be overcoming any meaningful change.
That horse has been smoking something
Of course horse riding is incredibly dangerous – it killed Superman !
Things don’t get more dangerous than that.
If you want to see the deleterious affects of smoking all you have to do is go out on the street and start counting cigarette butts! I don’t mind the fact that smokers want to die of lung cancer, I’m all for smoking areas in restaurants and other public places as long as fans and ventilation are used so as to insure a smoke free environment for those that don’t smoke. What I really mind is all the mess they make throwing their butts on the ground! And drinkers, well just add up the number of fatalities caused by drunk drivers and there’s your answer.
awesome picture
girls got skills