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Ten Most Dangerous Drugs
By Dr. Ben
Kim
According to a study published this
month in The Lancet, alcohol and tobacco rank among the ten most
dangerous substances used by humans. Both alcohol and tobacco have been
assessed to be more dangerous than illegal drugs like marijuana or ecstasy.
The following three factors were
considered in ranking the harmfulness of each drug that was evaluated:
- Physical harm to the user
- Addictive potential of the drug
- The drug's overall impact on society
Psychiatrists who specialize in
treating addictive behavior and legal or police officials with scientific or
medical expertise were asked to assign a score to each of the three factors
listed above for each drug that was evaluated in this study. All told, 20
different drugs were evaluated, including cocaine, heroin, ecstasy,
amphetamines, and LSD.
Ranked from most to least dangerous,
the ten most dangerous substances were deemed to be:
- Heroin - popular street names include smack, skag, and
junk.
- Cocaine - often referred to as snow, flake, coke, and
blow.
- Barbiturates - popular slang names include yellow
jackets, reds, blues, Amy's, and rainbows.
- Street Methadone
- Alcohol
- Ketamine - a powerful hallucinogen, often referred to
as Special K.
- Benzodiazepines - a family of sedative drugs.
- Amphetamines - known as greenies among baseball
players.
- Tobacco
- Buprenorphine - also called bupe or subbies.
The remaining drugs that were
assessed in this study ranked as follows:
- Cannabis - includes marijuana.
- Solvents - volatile substances that can be inhaled,
such as glue, nail polish remover, paints, hair spray, and lighter fuel
(gas).
- 4-MTA - is a derivative of amphetamine and has similar
effects to ecstasy.
- LSD
- Methylphenidate - central nervous system stimulant,
commonly sold as ritalin.
- Anabolic steroids
- GHB - short for Gamma hydroxybutyrate, a powerful
central nervous system depressant, most commonly known as the date rape
drug.
- Ecstasy
- Alkyl nitrates - group of drugs commonly referred to as
poppers.
- Khat - an amphetamine-like stimulant.
It is estimated that tobacco causes
40 percent of all hospital illnesses, while alcohol is involved in more than 50
percent of all visits to hospital emergency rooms. In light of these
statistics, the authors of this study question why alcohol and tobacco are
legal to use within current drug policies for Britain and the United States,
while less harmful drugs like ecstasy and LSD are deemed illegal to use.
The bottom line: alcohol and tobacco
are two of the most dangerous substances that you can expose yourself to on a
regular basis. In terms of overall potential to cause harm, if used regularly,
alcohol and tobacco belong in the same category as other recreational drugs
like cocaine and heroin.