Addiction Solution Source

Drug misuse is one of the major social, legal, and public-health challenges in the world. The total burden of drug misuse, in terms of health, social, and crime-related costs, is in the billions of dollars every year.

Recent research conducted in the UK has found that alcohol and tobacco are more dangerous than some illegal drugs / street drugs. Tobacco is estimated to cause 40 percent of all hospital illnesses, while alcohol is a factor in more than half of all visits to hospital emergency rooms.

Research Categories of Harm

There were three main factors that together determined the harm associated with any drug of potential abuse:

1- the physical harm to the individual user caused by the drug
2- the tendency of the drug to induce dependence
3- the effect of drug use on families, communities, and society

Two independent groups of experts were asked to do the ratings on the various drugs.

Results of the research:

1- Heroin
2- Cocaine
3- Barbiturates (eg. phenobarbital)
4- Street methadone
5- Alcohol
6- Ketamine
7- Benzodiazepines (tranquilizers such as Xanax, Valium, Ativan)
8- Amphetamine (eg. adderall)
9- Tobacco
10- Buprenorphine (eg. Subutex)
11- Cannabis
12- Solvents
13- 4-MTA
14- LSD
15- Methylphenidate (eg: Ritalin)
16- Anabolic steroids
17- GHB
18- Ecstasy
19- Alkyl nitrites
20- Khat

The full article is available at the link below: (free registration required for access)

The Lancet, Volume 369, Number 9566, 24 March 2007

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673607604644/fulltext