Source: news.com.au
By Tamara McLean
March 23, 2007 12:00
ALCOHOL and tobacco have been given top 10 rankings in a new table of the most dangerous drugs compiled by British experts.
The analysis in leading medical journal The Lancet calls for a new British classification of drugs to reflect the physical and social harm they wreak.
The chart - a compilation of expert opinion - places heroin as clearly the most dangerous, followed by cocaine, barbiturates and methadone.
Two legal drugs, alcohol and tobacco, are included for the first time, ranked number five and nine respectively among the 20 most dangerous substances.
Amphetamines took eighth place, cannabis ranked eleventh and ecstasy was further down the list at number 18.
Population health specialist professor Wayne Hall, from the University of Queensland, welcomed the rankings, saying it put the dangers of various drugs in perspective.
The biggest revelation was the extent of dangers posed by alcohol and tobacco, Prof Hall wrote in the same journal.
"This shows that we should certainly be putting a lot more time and money into alerting the community to the harms that they cause, especially alcohol," he said.
The analysis also proved that cannabis was less harmful than the Class A drugs it was commonly grouped together with.
"While it's certainly not a harmless drug, it's not in the same league in terms of the harm it causes, as many people seem to believe."
He said while the rankings were proposed to overhaul UK drug classifications, Australia should consider the implications, especially in relation to alcohol, cigarettes and cannabis.
"I think we should seriously examine this and think about the ramifications of changing the emphasis we place on certain drugs," the professor said.