It is absurd to conclude that alcohol is more dangerous than heroin and crack cocaine as headlines around the world proclaimed last week. In a study published in the respected British medical journal, Lancet, Dr. David Nutt at the University of Bristol stated exactly that after evaluating twenty drugs for their potential for physical harm, addictiveness, and effects on society. What was not widely reported was that the study concluded that heroin, crack cocaine and crystal meth were the deadliest to the individual user, but that alcohol was considered more damaging because of its greater social effects, mainly because it was more widely used. This is a little like saying that driving a car is more deadly than skydiving, because more people drive a car. It is interesting to note that when Britain increased the penalties for marijuana use last year, Dr. Nutt voiced his opposition for which he was fired as the UK’s Chief Drug Advisor.
Health Matters
John T. Rowe, MD