Drugs Less Dangerous Than Alcohol?

Written by Abigail Andrews on October 31,2009

Professor David Nutt, the Government’s chief drug adviser, was sacked yesterday after claiming Ecstasy and LSD were less dangerous than alcohol. Prof Nutt attacked what he called the “artificial” separation of alcohol and tobacco from other, illegal, drugs. He said Cannabis was “not that harmful” a drug and repeated his warning to parents about the impact of alcohol on their children. He said, children are much more likely to die or be seriously injured from alcohol, than any other drugs.

Why was he sacked? Well, because he dared to advise the government that, based on scientific evidence, Cannabis and Ecstasy are actually less harmful than alcohol and tobacco. Is he right? Of course he is! So why was he sacked? Well, because if the government were seen to support professor Nutts statements they would lose public votes, and with an election just around the corner that’s the last thing they need. Had the government agreed with what the professor said, the goody two shoes brigade would be out in force, claiming that his statements are irresponsible and that his “scientific” evidence is wrong.

What I don’t understand is why people do not want to believe that drugs they use daily, such as alcohol and tobacco, are actually more dangerous. Is it because tobacco and alcohol have been normalised in our society? I reckon so. I have had conversations before people who claim that Ecstasy and Cannabis should never be legalised, they claim they are too dangerous. Yet these people are all too happy to go out every weekend and get drunk off their heads, not remember what they did the night before, or even how they got home. Alcohol leads people to do things which are very dangerous, like kill themselves or others in cars, get into fights, get raped and engage in other activities which they ultimately regret. Yet we all happily accept that it as less dangerous than other drugs that do not cause us to lose our self control.

People have been led to believe that there is high risk associated with taking drugs such as Ecstasy and Cannabis. The fact is people who take Ecstasy rarely become violent, in fact the reverse happens, they are always aware of what they are doing and never wake up the next day wondering where they have been and how they got home……..can the same be said for alcohol?

Further, we are led to believe that Cannabis makes people delusional and guarantees depression, and mental health problems. The fact is, anyone who does develop mental health problems is HIGHLY likely to have developed those problems regardless of whether they used Cannabis or not. Prof Nutt said smoking cannabis created only a “relatively small risk” of psychotic illness, his statement is based on scientific evidence. People forget that alcohol causes depression too, but for some reason that is accepted.

If the government followed professor Nutts advice we would all be educated better about what drugs are actually the most dangerous and therefore, we could all make informed decisions about our own risks. Instead many people who are against drugs such as Cannabis and Ecstasy are ironically putting themselves at more risk drinking a bottle of wine on a Friday night!

If the government followed professor Nutts advice all drugs, including alcohol and tobacco, would be ranked by a “harm” index. Professor Nutt said if this index was applied, alcohol would be fifth behind cocaine, heroin, barbiturates, and methadone. Tobacco would rank ninth, ahead of cannabis, LSD and Ecstasy. He also repeated his claim that the risks of taking ecstasy are no worse than riding a horse. And yet many people think that these drugs are worse than both alcohol and tobacco.

It’s time to face facts, if we legalised drugs such as Cannabis and Ecstasy the government could tax them which would help support our country. Drug dealers would pay tax again creating a new revenue stream for the government. Drugs would be monitored and made in safe environments, removing the risk that they are mixed with dangerous substances – the part that makes drugs like Ecstasy unsafe. Lastly, the drug underworld would disappear overnight, along with much of the crime associated with it.

Lets get real, lets base our laws on scientific evidence rather than scaring people with absolute nonsense. We should be allowed to make our own decisions based on scientific facts, rather than based on what the government wants us to hear.

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