Drugs that cause most harm

Scoring drugs
Nov 2nd 2010, 12:30 by The Economist online

A new study suggests alcohol is more harmful than heroin or crack MOST people would a !ee that some d!u s a!e wo!se than othe!s: he!oin is p!obably conside!ed to be mo!e dan e!ous than ma!i"uana, #o! instance$ %ecause ove!nments #o!mulate c!iminal and social policies based upon classi#ications o# ha!m, a new study published by the Lancet on Novembe! 1st ma&es inte!estin !eadin $ 'esea!che!s led by (!o#esso! )avid Nutt, a #o!me! chie# d!u s advise! to the %!itish ove!nment, as&ed d!u *ha!m e+pe!ts to !an& 20 d!u s ,le al and ille al- on 1. measu!es o# ha!m to the use! and to wide! society, such as dama e to health, d!u dependency, economic costs and c!ime$ /lcohol is the most ha!m#ul d!u in %!itain, sco!in 02 out o# a possible 100, #a! mo!e dama in than he!oin ,11- o! c!ac& cocaine ,12-$ 3t is the most ha!m#ul to othe!s by a wide ma! in, and is !an&ed #ou!th behind he!oin, c!ac&, and methamphetamine ,c!ystal meth- #o! ha!m to the individual$ The autho!s point out that the model4s wei htin s, thou h based on "ud ment, we!e analysed and #ound to be stable as la! e chan es would be needed to chan e the ove!all !an&in s$

5)!u ha!ms in the 67: a multi*c!ite!ia decision analysis5, by )avid Nutt, 8eslie 7in and 8aw!ence (hillips, on behal# o# the 3ndependent Scienti#ic 9ommittee on )!u s$ The Lancet$

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