BOOZE DEADLIER THAN LSD

Booze and Cigs More Harmful Than Class A Drugs Claim
Experts

ALCOHOL and tobacco are more harmful than class A drugs such as LSD
and ecstasy, experts have claimed.

In a landmark study published today, they put booze almost on a par
with heroin, cocaine and street methadone.

And they place tobacco ninth in a list of 20 drugs - ranking it more
dangerous than cannabis, solvents and date rape drug GHB.

The list was drawn up by medical experts who say the current Class A,
B and C system - in place for 36 years - should be scrapped.

They want a new scale to be introduced which rates substances
according to the harm they cause.

The research team asked experts from many fields, including
psychiatry, neuroscience and law, to rate a list of 20 legal and
illegal drugs.

The substances were ranked on three factors - physical harm to the
individual, addictive qualities and their damaging effects on
families, communities and society.

The experts judged that alcohol, tobacco and ketamine were more
harmful than some class A drugs - which attract the heaviest penalties.

Psychedelic drug LSD came in 14th while ecstasy was ranked 18th.
Cannabis, reclassified from a B to C drug in 2004, came in 11th.

Together, tobacco and alcohol, both legal drugs - account for about 90
per cent of all drug-related deaths in the UK.

The horse tranquilliser ketamine - or "special K" - is currently a
class C drug, but is rapidly overtaking ecstasy as the drug of choice
among clubbers.

The new list was drawn up by Professor David Nutt, a Government
advisor and Professor Colin Blakemore, chief executive of the Medical
Research Council.

Prof Nutt, of the University of Bristol, said: "Drug misuse and abuse
are major health problems.

"We believe a system like ours, based on the scoring of harms by
experts, on the basis of scientific evidence, has much to commend it."

Their study is published today in the highly respected Lancet medical
journal. Prof Blakemore added: "At present there is no rational,
evidence-based method for assessing the harm of drugs. We have tried
to develop such a method."

But Home Office Minister Vernon Coaker said: "We have no intention of
reviewing the drug classification system.

"Our priority is harm reduction and to achieve this we focus on
enforcement, education and treatment."

[sidebar]

DANGER 20

The Most Dangerous Drugs Named by Experts Defined by the Harm They
Do

1. Heroin

2. Cocaine

3. Barbiturates (prescription sedatives)

4. Street methadone

5. Alcohol

6. Ketamine

7. Benzodiazepines (prescription tranquillisers)

8. Amphetamine

9. Tobacco

10. Buprenorphine (used to treat opiate addiction)

11. Cannabis

12. Solvents

13. 4-MTA (amphetamine derivative - sold as ecstasy or
"flatliners")

14. LSD

15. Methylphenidate (used to treat ADHD)

16. Anabolic steroids

17. GHB (used by bodybuilders and associated with date rape
cases)

18. Ecstasy

19. Alkyl nitrites (stimulant often called amyl nitrates or
"poppers")

20. Khat (plant that gives off a high when chewed)