Posted: 04/04/07

A change in direction
U.K. study finds alcohol and tobacco more dangerous than some illegal drugs

Annie Gleba | contributing writer
agleba@smcvt.edu

Alcohol and tobacco were reported as being more dangerous to people than illegal drugs like marijuana and ecstasy, according to a recent study conducted in the United Kingdom and published in the medical journal, “The Lancet.” The study is based on three “categories of harm,” which include the physical harm caused by the drug, the possibility for dependency on the drug, and the effect the drug has on families, communities and society in general, according to the study.

What drugs were researched?

There were 20 drugs researched in the study, including heroin, cocaine, barbiturates, street methadone, alcohol, amphetamine, tobacco, marijuana, solvents, LSD, methylphenidate, anabolic steroids, and ecstasy.

The researchers went on to discuss the fact that the U.K. Misuse of Drugs Act does not address the dangers of alcohol and tobacco accurately. (Izabela Socha, photo)

The study was led by Professor David Nutt of the Psychopharmacology Unit at the University of Bristol in the U.K. Nutt, along with fellow researchers Leslie A. King, William Saulsbury and Professor Colin Blakemore, discuss the findings of their study at the end of their report. Alcohol was rated number five on the list of the most harmful drugs and tobacco was listed as number nine. Heroin and cocaine were rated as the most dangerous drugs consecutively. Marijuana and ecstasy, however, were further down the list, ranking at number 11 and number 18, respectively.

The researchers went on to discuss the fact that the U.K. Misuse of Drugs Act does not address the dangers of alcohol and tobacco accurately. The researchers determined that due to their findings, changes should be made to the U.K.’s legal system in order to adequately protect people and society in general from these drugs, according to the report.

Local experts weigh in

The question remains: Is this study legitimate? Dan Steinbauer, the clinical coordinator of the Day One program in Burlington, which provides intensive outpatient resources to drug abusers, says the study could be correct.

“My initial reaction is that the statement may be very true in some ways,” he says.

Steinbauer says that very few heroin or opiate addicts actually die from the harm caused by the drug. He says the opiate itself doesn’t harm the body, and while marijuana has the possibility of causing psychological dependence, it doesn’t affect people in the way that withdrawal from alcohol does. He says the same is true for cocaine and other stimulants. Even though cocaine withdrawal can make people irritable and angry — sometimes leading to violent crimes — the cocaine addict wouldn’t have to be hospitalized for the withdrawal the way that an alcohol addict would, he says.

“Alcohol affects people physiologically in so many bad ways,” Steinbauer says.

Marcia Trick, who works for the National Association of State Alcohol/Drug Abuse, says she doesn’t know if the study is legitimate.

“We’re not in the business of saying one is more dangerous than another," Trick says. "They can all be abused."

"We're not in the business of saying one is more dangerous than another," Trick says. "They can all be abused." (Izabela Socha, photo)

Trick says that while this study gives one opinion, all drugs that are addictive — even alcohol and tobacco — should be treated as dangerous when abused. She and her organization are advocates of getting treatment for people with alcohol and tobacco addictions, among other drug addictions. She says that while she believes alcohol and tobacco are dangerous when abused, she and her organization are more concerned with making sure people can get the proper treatment they need.

Ray Coffey, the Community Helping Inspire People to Succeed (CHIPS) director in Essex, believes that in certain ways, this study may be a good way to look at the dangers of drugs.

“I think just as a public health risk, the prevalence and accessibility of tobacco make it more dangerous,” Coffey says.

This is something that Nutt addressed in the study. The study says that the accessibility to alcohol and tobacco, since they are legal, makes them somewhat difficult to compare to the dangers of other drugs. He says he believes this must be considered when looking at the findings of the study.

Should lawmakers consider changes in laws based on the study?

In the study, Nutt and researchers suggest that the UK’s Misuse of Drugs Act be remedied to include alcohol and tobacco among the illegal drugs. Considering the results of the study, it might be a good idea for lawmakers in both the UK and the United States to look at the laws that are in place and re-evaluate them, according to the study. The way drugs are classified in laws is the main point that Nutt and his researchers found problematic, since they did not find any distinction between the illegal drugs and the two legal ones that were studied.

Coffey says that while this would be a good idea theoretically, it may not be realistic.

“If something could be done, that would be great," Coffey says. "Prohibition, in theory, was a good idea. But [using alcohol and tobacco] is culturally accepted activity."

“No one of power makes money off ecstasy, so it's illegal. But people of power make money off of tobacco, so it's legal. ” -Patrick Smith

Coffey went on to say that in order for a law to be put in effect to either outlaw alcohol and tobacco, or to regulate them more, there would need to be a huge shift in society’s opinions regarding social norms. He says it would be difficult to make such drastic cultural shifts in order to outlaw the drugs, and that the reduction of the abuse of alcohol and tobacco should be what lawmakers look to remedy.

At the very least, what Nutt and his fellow researchers would like to accomplish with this study, is a change in the way that the government assesses the risks of drugs, and how they are classified, according to the study.

St. Michael’s College junior Patrick Smith, however, is not convinced of the necessity of such government action. He doesn’t believe that the government should be involved in making any drugs legalized or illegal. He does, however, think that this study shows something not mentioned in the research presented.

“I think it’s a sign that a lot of legal decisions are based more on money than health morality,” Smith said. “No one of power makes money off ecstasy, so it’s illegal. But people of power make money off of tobacco, so it is legal.”