Alcohol more harmful than heroin, cocaine, study finds

The author of the study says alcohol in itself is dangerous as well as the misuse of the substance, but he says the social harm of alcohol scores very high, which is what made them come to the conclusion it was more dangerous than heroin and cocaine.

CTV News Channel: Dr. Marco Leyton, professor

A psychiatry professor at McGill University discusses why he agrees with a new study that ranks alcohol as the most harmful drug, even more dangerous even than crack cocaine and heroin.

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The Lancet: Drug harms in the UK: a multicriteria decision analysis

CTV.ca News Staff

Date: Mon. Nov. 1 2010 2:19 PM ET

Alcohol is the "most harmful" of a list of 20 drugs -- more dangerous even than crack cocaine and heroin -- according to a new study released Monday.

The study, published in the medical journal The Lancet, rated the drugs using a 100-point scale that weighed the physical, psychological and social problems they caused and determined that alcohol was the most harmful overall.

The study gave alcohol a score of 72 out of 100 overall -- nearly three times the score given to cocaine and tobacco.

Dr. David Nutt, a former drugs advisor to the British government and co-author of the study, said that researchers looked at both the effects the drug had on users and the effect it had on society overall. He told CTV News Channel that the social costs of alcohol were what drove it into the top spot as the most harmful drug overall.

"Behind crack cocaine, heroin, (and) crystal meth … it was the fourth most toxic drug to the individual," Nutt said.

"The real reason it got to the top of the list was when we looked at the social harms, alcohol scored very high because of the crime, traffic accidents, the economic costs of for instance not coming to work because you're hung over, the violence in families, those sorts of things."

The study found that heroin, crack cocaine and methamphetamine posed the most danger to an individual, with scores of 34, 37 and 32 respectively. When the wider social effects were factored in, alcohol scored a 72, followed by heroin at 55, and crack cocaine with a score of 54.

Marijuana, ecstasy and LSD scored far lower in the study, which was paid for by Britain's Centre for Crime and Justice Studies.

Experts said alcohol scored so high because it is so widely used and has devastating consequences not only for drinkers but for those around them.

"Just think about what happens at every football game," said Wim van den Brink, a professor of psychiatry and addiction at the University of Amsterdam who co-authored a commentary on the study, also published in The Lancet.

When drunk in excess, alcohol damages nearly all organ systems. It is also connected to higher death rates and is involved in a greater percentage of crime than most other drugs.

The study's authors said their findings suggest that illicit drug laws have "little relation to the evidence of harm."

Nutt said that the decision to make marijuana illegal and alcohol legal is not based on how harmful they are either to users or to society as a whole.

"It's not a scientific decision, it's a political decision or some kind of moral decision."

They recommended that governments target the harmful effects of alcohol as "a valid and necessary public health strategy."

But experts said it would be impractical and incorrect to outlaw alcohol and suggested .

"We cannot return to the days of prohibition," said Leslie King, an adviser to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and one of the study's authors. "Alcohol is too embedded in our culture and it won't go away."

Instead, they recommended governments target problem drinkers, not the vast majority of people who drink only occasionally. They also said more education programs on the dangers of alcohol are needed and recommended higher prices so it isn't as widely available.

Comments are now closed for this story

Todd
said

I see this study and publication of its results in the media has created another storm of debate in society. I always figured as human beings the majority of us are taught right from wrong, good from bad and to use our COMMON SENSE. It doesn't matter how many scientific studies are done, "we" (society) have to be able to process this information for what it is and use our COMMON SENSE. But clearly, based on some of the comments above, there are a number in society that don't have "it" or use "it" to make good decisions.

John from Kelowna
said

Lets blame alcohol for all these addicts. The simple fact of the matter, is some people are predesposed to be addicts, it's in their genetic makeup. If there wasnt any alcohol, they would probably be sniffing gasoline or glue to get high.I have been drinking alcohol in moderation all of my life. I have never had any overwhelming urge to drink to excess, and can count on one hand, all the times that I have been drunk. There is nothing wrong with a couple of beers, or glasses of wine, or mixed drinks. Quit blaming alcohol, and start looking at the root causes of addiction.

Aliza
said

@Jeff-- there have been gang wars over rum and whiskey: that was called Prohibition. I haven't read the study itself yet, but the public health issues of alcohol vs illicit drugs vs legal-but-abused drugs comes down to frequency and quantity. * What is the rate of harm for the quantity consumed? Alcohol is not a harmless drug, it just happens to be a legal and popular one. Which means that alcohol's prevalence means that it will cause more harm in absolute numbers. *What is the rate of harm to the user and/or others per unit consumed? The majority of people who have one or two drinks in an evening a couple of times a week cause little harm to themselves or others-- but can the same be said about using cocaine or meth that often? I certainly enjoy a glass of wine, but I do remember that alcohol is a drug and so one has to consume it responsibly.

Zane
said

Most people don't like the reality that they have created for themselves and try to escape through the use of substances. Denial is a wonderful thing as we don't have to face reality. It seems to me that the majority of people feel that they have to use something to perceive feeling good. This does not speak well for us.

Jimin Ottawa
said

Oh please! You don't need a scientific background to know that alcohol in moderation is not harmful--even healthy in fact. On the contrary, cocaine and crack even in moderation are ALWAYS harmful to the individual and to society-at-large, and this is the reality that our drug laws reflect. I'm afraid that these kinds of politically biased, junk-scientific studies that are what are giving all scientists a bad name.

Narin
said

Some day the researchers said alcohol is beneficial for the health and some day they said it's harmful. What are you guys doing?

Bill Phillips
said

alcohol isn't going anywhere,this coming from someone who's family (mine) has lost 4 various members due to alcohol in the last 10 years. ( 2 in solo car accidents, thank god no innocents & 2 from destroying their livers. I'm still surprised and shocked there are still no warning labels on this stuff, the packaging or bottles...and severe warnings it needs...

kc-bby
said

As a smoker, I have yet to prostitute myself for a drag. I have smoked alot of weed too in my time and it was my drug of choice simply because I have an addictive personality and I know that pot is not addictive. My father was a smoker and an alcholic. I have witnessed his slow distruction and its the primary reason why I rarely consumed alcohol. What is harmful? Lack of criminal record? What about being so addicted to alcohol that you cant show up for work? Neglecting the existence of your family? Becoming so lost in alchohol addiction that you are now violent with them? Cocaine and crack addiction by the numbers is isolated to a very small number of fools who would dare become consumers of it. At any given night I witness drunk drivers getting behind the wheel. The amount of damage they cause makes cocaine and crack fueld damage insignificant.

Robin E
said

First of all, it doesn't matter. We are all human beings making mistakes in our lives. Doesn't matter at what age, race, or creed. People will do what they want to their own bodies, whether the governments do anything about it or not. Alcohol has been around for hundreds of years. It's a choice a person will make that will determine their own outcome. If I jump off a bridge, that is my choice to make. Not saying it's a good one at all, and it would be very selfish. I do agree with the fact that it does hurt not just the person consuming it, but more importantly the people around.

themacguy
said

This study is a farce. based on how much more widespread/common the use of alcohol is than any othe the harder drugs mentioned it is definitely going to show a much higher impact on society. if the results had been weighted according to a scale that balanced per capita use the results would have been a lot more realistic.

Scott ON
said

@stewie .....are you out of your mind? seriously and I quote ' The effects of illegal drugs don't cause people to commit crimes. The crime associated with drugs is usually possession, drugs don't make people violent & crazy like alcohol does ' please tell me you're kidding.

Eric
said

I smoke pot and am finishing up my 4th year in an Honors B.A program that I've paid for with my own money while still volunteering in local schools, no help from parents and minimal use of loans. My brother smokes pot and at 27 is a certified accountant making roughly 55k a year with tonnes of room for advancement, owns his own house with his wife and has his first kid on the way. While this doesn't prove pot is completely harmless, it does prove that your logic is flawed when you insinuate that pot causes anyone who uses it to become losers. For all you know those people you know would be losers even if they didn't smoke it. There's a reason science explicitly states "Correlation != Causation", and the flaws in your reasoning are why.

reece
said

People who argue that alcohol is better than pot because its legal dont know what they are talking about. Legality? You think you are more dignified when you, a grown man, are plastered and talking gibberish? Since when did the legal status of any of the vices out there prevent anyone from consuming it? Pot is illegal because it creates jobs for judges, lawyers, and cops. Cocaine and any addictive drug is illegal because it creates those jobs and also stimulates the economy by creating an artificial demand on resources. Addiction creates exploitation leading to prostitution in turn break-ins which all lead to insurance claims. Its not that people are dumb - they know its true, but they dont want to acknowledge it because they are cowards and worse than pimps because they dont have the courage to get their hands dirty because its too busy pointing fingers. YOU are the cause of misery when you support criminalization of any of these substances. So, spare your time volunteering in a soup kitchen because that makes you look like a even greater scam artist.

Scott ON
said

@ AlyxCrawford .... legalize the harder drugs and tell me if you feel the same. Alcohol casts a wider net because it is legal and can easily be dealt with in the open. If you've ever known anyone hooked on heroin or anything of that magnitude, you'd know the effect it can have on friends, family and anyone involved

Damon
said

Ken - Ont, are you serious?Guess what, he was referring to the herb itself not killing anyone ever. People die just from drinking alcohol, overdoses or long term damage to their body. No one dies from just using Cannabis, that was his point.Driving while intoxicated on ANY substance is DUMB and its not the substances fault a person got behind the wheel. If that was the case then Tim Horton's coffee, cell phones, etc are killers. Cannabis has not killed a single person in history, accept it, that's reality.

Richard in Ontario
said

I quit smoking many years ago and now enjoy a couple of beers a day. Now I find I should give that up and start smoking a few joints every day and snorting some cocaine. According to this study that is less harmful. Probably get a bigger buzz as well. Who knows?

Dave
said

Don,

I think "weed" has negative impacts that are pretty hard to measure. For one, all the least ambitious people I know have one thing in common....weed.

I have seen few things become an entire lifestyle for a person the way weed can. It can almost be a religion of laziness and detachment and perpetual escapism.

Weed may not be causing a lot of the harm that other drugs do, but a nation full of potheads is the last thing we want to become.

some of our greatest challenges lie ahead and I think we have a nation of people who need to grow up and take responsibility for keeping this country great instead of letting our decadence destroy it.

Pat
said

Here we go again.... Yet another study for what most of us already know. It's funny how the government shows us how the effects of second hand smoke is harmful but yet there is another more toxic substance even more harmful "" Car exhaust "" but we don;t see the government banning cars. Did you know that they did a test on drinking and driving plus smoking (weed) and driving. 92% failed the drinking part (done within a controlled area) but only 22% failed while high.. The older commercials stated that smoking a joint was like smoking 10 cigarettes but in reality its the opposite!! Ever wonder why in other countries that allow drugs and prostitution that they have less crime. Hummm wonder why.... We are so brainwashed into whats legal and not, that we don't see the real picture. Break out the real test results ans you'll see people's thoughts change!

c
said

Ok for straters alcohol effects people differently, some people get violent on it, some don't some can handle their booze, some can't... And as for everyone asking to legalize weed, you guys are idiots..Because if it's legalized the government will be in charge, just like smokes, booze everything else. you wanna have the prices hiked up and what not go for it, personally im glad i dont smoke the crap but you guys just want to be able to smoke it openly, go for it if you don't mind the government taking a cut! as for the booze their is nothing anyone can do about it , who cares what they rate it as.. I was married to a violent drunk, That is no longer the case and booze is no longer an issue in my life. I have maybe one or two on the weekend thats it. As for the one's who can't handle their booze, thats their problem only for the fact theres not a damn thing Myself or anyone else can do about it. This is a pointless conversation.

GHW
said

Even though I agree that alcohol is here to stay I totally agree it is the worst. I�ve known more than a few people who would have been so much better off with out it. It is quite literally a Dr. Jekyll - Mr. Hide drug. Marijuana is harmful too in other ways but does not create the severe social problems that alcohol does. @ Sam C � you forgot to mention gambling�

Dave in Calgary
said

I hate seeing studies and statistics misused to somehow suggest others drugs would be better than alcohol. If cocaine and heroin were ingested in this country at the same rate alcohol is, we would probably jump to praise alcohol.

Here�s an angle to consider� instead of always talking about which drug people should choose, let�s talk about how pathetic we are as a species that so many of us can�t find enough satisfaction in life without distorting our perceptions with drugs and alcohol. The simplest species on the planet seems to have more sense than we do.

There can be much more to life than just prolonging the buzz, and unless society gets back to basics, we're heading to a pretty crappy place.

Arthur
said

I struggled more than 30 years with alcohol addiction, 99% of the drug addicts I met said alcohol was the gateway drug that led the to illegal drugs & it was with me too. I tried every illegal drug on the planet & never acquired an addiction to anything but alcohol. The medical community failed me 100% in helping me with my addiction I found my own path to an alcohol free life. I was told our treatment centers only have a 2% success rate, from my research (recovery from addiction) I have come up with ideas that would increase the success rate to at least 90%. My plan starts in schools with education, what they teach now is inadequate, alcoholics have personality traits that could be corrected in school at a young age to prevent addiction. My plan drastically reduces costs of rehabilitation. Our laws also need changing, after all we don't punish diabetics or cancer patients. I have written Canada's Health Minister asking for a job to rewrite our treatment & prevention methods. She didn't even ask me what my plan was. I'm very disappointed the health minister didn't even ask me what my plan was. I know I can increase success from the 2% we have now, to at least 90%, I need help to get my message out there. Does anyone know who I could contact that would listen? Maybe CTV could help me get my message out, we need to change everything were doing in regards to addiction.

Intelligent Liberal
said

I am glad I read this article before it was too late. I used to enjoy a glass of wine with dinner, but based on this study from prestigious medical outfit I am going to stop drinking, and resume smoking export A and crack cocaine.

Donaldbain
said

Well it's about time. Thankfully those in charge of our lives will react to this news and immediately criminalize the possession and distribution of alcohol. Shut the brewery doors and smash the distillery tanks because we don't need this in our lives anymore. Jobs and tax revenue will be gained by sober people doing more work. This is going to be a great century in this country. What do you mean they already tried this and it didn't work? It has worked for other drugs, right? No? Well, never mind then, the status quo should be sufficient.

rmsbl4
said

This is going to be a big point with the dopeys to get all their drugs legalized.

Stewie
said

Anyone that didn't know this has been sleeping for the last 40 years. I knew one day they would have to tell the public the truth. With information available online, it's impossible to keep the truth from the public. I'm 52 & I know many people that have died from alcohol & I know no that died from illegal drugs. Some studies in the US say alcohol is involved in 83% of homicides, 73% of felonies, 81% of wife beatings that list goes on. The majority of people in prison wouldn't be there if they never would have drank booze. The effects of illegal drugs don't cause people to commit crimes. The crime associated with drugs is usually possession, drugs don't make people violent & crazy like alcohol does. I lived in hell for many years battling alcohol addiction, in treatment centers the alcoholics walked the halls at night unable to sleep, the drug addicts slept like babies. Alcohol destroyed my life & rewired my brain. I haven't drank in 6 years, without medication I sleep about 7 hours per week, alcohol left me with severe anxiety & chronic insomnia. My doctor prescribes me marijuana for my chronic insomnia, my doctor said there are no prescription drugs for my condition that are as safe as marijuana. Drug laws are a product of politics, they have nothing to do with reducing crime, drug laws actually increase crime. We need to fix the problem, all drugs that are safer than alcohol should be legalized to stop the income for gangs.

Dexter
said

@ "Dave in MB" - Issuing licenses to purchase alcohol would be impractical because of the cost involved. Who would fund this "project"? How much would it cost? Who would maintain this?

thetruth1028
said

I always find it interesting when people argue that...marijuana is a bad drug because it is illegal...while physiologically it is far less harmful than alcohol or even cigarettes...Not all laws are good laws.. just ask afro-americans about 60 years ago or women about 80 years ago.

peter in MB
said

This is absolute B.S.!!! heroin, cocaine will kill you. Alcohol like (Red wine) in moderation has health benefits. The key is moderation.

Ken in NB
said

I really don't see any point in worrying about any of this, when the islamic extremists take over our western cultures all forms of alcohol and drugs will be forbidden. Though one wonders where they will get their funds to operate with when they need to quit selling drugs due to no demand, oh right they will be playing with our tax money.

Alyx Crawford
said

@Scott - I don't think they are saying that Heroin is better, but that Alcohol is worse because it has an affect on a wider circle of people around the user.

Ken - Ont
said

@Don said, " After all, a single death from marijuana has never been recorded in history." Umm, sorry to burst your bubble Don but a fellow student in my GR13 class smoked several joints, drove home and drove his car into a bridge and died. I am sure that there are many documented cases of people high on weed that met with untimely deaths.

Calgary Brad
said

If the gov't weren't so addicted to earning boatloads of taxes off of the general public's addictions then we would not be in this sorry state. It is truly hypocritical for them to spew their BS about "winning the war on drugs" when they endorse, legitimize and support the use of some of the most addictive and dangerous vices out there - alcohol, nicotine and gambling. Sometimes I just shake my head at the two-facedness of our society in general.

Don
said

Marijuana advocates have always argued this as a good reason to legalize. After all, a single death from marijuana has never been recorded in history. Science has proven marijuana to be safer than many legally obtainable substances, even caffeine.
Also, kids can obtain marijuana more easily than alcohol, because drug dealers don't ask for ID!
And many of these drug dealers are under 18 anyway! We've got a problem!

People are getting wasted on booze, & crashing their cars, because their bosses/superiors are subscribing to the notion that marijuana is harmful, and Molson Canadian is some kind of lady-magnetizing macho elixir of the gods!

California (Which has a greater population than Canada) will vote to legalize marijuana tomorrow. Whether or not it passes, it says something about the growing awareness, despite an insane degree of political suppression to the contrary.

Jeff
said

I wonder if this study considered all the effects, both direct and indirect. I find it difficult to believe that after you factor in overdoses, increase in crime, prostitution, and deaths related to gang and drug wars that alcohol is the most dangerous. Yes it is dangerous if abused, but I have yet to see a gang war over rum and people selling themselves for shots of whiskey.

Frank
said

You said it Matt - Control the population by fear - Control is the name of the game here. Fortunately for me my sense fo fear has been overridden by my common sense.

Nanook
said

Unfortunately, booze is here to stay. I like beer, but ONE at a time, and always at home.

Prof. Pye Chartt
said

So, I guess we're to believe that if crack cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine were enjoyed as commonly in society as alcohol (which the vast majority "use" but don't "abuse") the world would be a better place. ...Oh, yeah; I can picture that. Can't you?

KJ in Kingston Ontario
said

To take a line from Ronald Reagan's debate comeback to Jimmy Carter: there they go again! The idea we can live forever with the elimination of all evils and risks -- to thus survive to be ensconced in long term care facilities as the ultimate reward for a life of perpetual sacrifice is growing tiresome. Alcohol has been a part of the lifestyle of humans for thousands of years but it seems it will soon become the focus of the purifiers of life -- the modern Puritans who have pursued smokers for the last few decades with laws, warnings and guilt -- and now inevitably they are turning their attention to drink.

Kojak
said

It really doesn't matter what people say or do, you can't change the rules by stating the obvious, nobody will believe you.

Scott ON
said

Give me a break. Alcohol is more mainstream which is why reports of family breakups etc are abundant. You seriously think heroin is better. As for the people praising weed, the difference is, alcohol is legal so advertising it isn't a problem.

Jaid in Toronto
said

Drugs like cocaine and heroin are bugged, because of how much harm it causes to the individual as the article states. But alcohol causing damage to others is either through overconsumption (which you pay for), or through healing wounds (hospitals). You can't pay for cocaine or heroin legally, and alcohol damages other via uncontrollable use.Knowing your alcohol limits and what to do after consumption takes care of the damage done to others. Not bad for a study, but the problem here is sample choice in which the leading article statement greatly misinforms the individual (like me). There are things you can buy legally and illegally here, should be categorized into either illegal or legal drugs only.

Matt
said

If a grower of weed was to take out of advertisement on TV, the public would go up in arms. Yet we allow ad after ad of alchol commercials. Ive watch and seen more friends get in trouble over drinking then anything else. It makes people stupid, kills bodies, and cause countless deaths each year directly or indirectly. But hey, they make BILLIONS in tax dollars, and THAT is the bottom line. The hypocrisy that exists within our society is almost overwhelming. Tax smokers, there to blame, or crack down on weed smokers, its there fault..... Yet among most intelligent people I converse with each day do not buy the propaganda aimed at one type of poison over another. And unless we are ready to say 'If its bad for you no' then we have no right saying you can do this bad thing, but not that bad thing, anymore. Lets face it, big business has been killing us for years with toxic gases and pollution, but hey! Its alright, were making money. 90% of what the government feeds its people are lies and fear control. Not just in this country but all over the world.

Dave in MB
said

Man, am I ever tired of paying for the idiots in the world! Liquor prices are already pretty extreme. Maybe we should have a licence in order to purchase liquor? Just as a responsible individual should have a licence to drive, we could give learners permits to beginer drinkers, test them on a regular basis to see how they handle the substance. Create lots of jobs as well with everyone running around keeping tabs on everyone else!

Sam C
said

"Alcohol is too embedded in our culture and it won't go away." Not to mention that governments are too addicted to the tax revenue from alcohol -- and tobacco.