Marijuana & Heroin vs Alcohol & Tobacco

The results of yet another study that pits illegal drugs, such as marijuana and Ecstasy, against alcohol and tobacco is in, and gee, what a surprise- the drugs are winning. Stoners begin couchside debate with the choir.

The British study, headed by Professor David Nutt of Britain's Bristol University, had been working to re-classify those substances deemed harmful according to their damage causing potential. Unfortunately, alcohol and tobacco ranked among the top ten.

"The current drug system is ill thought-out and arbitrary. The exclusion of alcohol and tobacco from the Misuse of Drugs Act is, from a scientific perspective, arbitrary," said Nutt.

Three factors were used to determine the harm associated with each drug: the physical harm to the user, the drug's potential for addiction, and the impact on society of drug use.

Among the twenty testing subjects was cocaine (snow), heroin, Ecstasy and LSD. Expert psychiatrists with backgrounds in addiction, as well as those officials with medical or scientific expertise, were asked to assign a score to each. However, these experts would only agree with their collective conclusions and not with the top-ten rankings determined by the study researchers.

According to the list, heroin and cocaine ranked top (surprise) while alcohol ranked five and tobacco in ninth. Cannabis ranked eleven while Ecstasy was at the bottom.

Nutt and his colleagues are not out to promote the legalization of any drugs, rather that all harmful substances be rated on the same scale. He's basically saying that tobacco and alcohol have been getting a free pass for so long that now things need to change.

Among the facts presented- tobacco is behind 40% of all hospital illnesses and that alcohol plays a roll in more than half of all emergency room visits. In addition to those, the effects on society, families and police resources were also cited.

If all goes according to plan, these new findings will become the framework for unification and change by sparking debate within the UK, and hopefully beyond, about what we've deemed as acceptable and regulated.

"This is a landmark paper," said Dr. Leslie Iversen, professor of pharmacology at Oxford University. "It is the first real step towards an evidence-based classification of drugs." Iversen was not connected to the research.

Since 1972, U.S. taxpayers have spent well over $20 billion enforcing criminal marijuana laws. Additionally, 16.5 million people have been arrested, effectively screwing up the rotation.

Sources:

Press Association, "Drink 'more harmful than drugs'" Guardian Unlimited
URL: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uklatest/story/0,,-6502248,00.html

Maria Cheng, "Study: Alcohol Worse Than Narcotics" Time
URL: www.time.com/time/health /article/0,8599,1602252,00.html

Paul ArmentanoIt's Been an 'All Out War' on Pot Smokers for 35 Years" Alternet
URL: http://www.alternet.org/rights/49597/, "