dopetalk does not endorse any advertised product nor does it accept any liability for it's use or misuse

This website has run out of funding so feel free to contribute if you can afford it (see footer)

Author Topic: What is the most dangerous drug in the world?  (Read 18914 times)

Offline sk8phaze (OP)

  • Junky Deluxe
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • SA_Chat+
  • **
  • Join Date: Jul 2015
  • Location: So Cal
  • Posts: 294
  • Reputation Power: 0
  • sk8phaze has hidden their reputation power
  • Gender: Male
  • Last Login:April 26, 2021, 09:11:55 AM
  • Sk8phaze
What is the most dangerous drug in the world?
« on: November 24, 2015, 07:05:46 PM »
http://www.iflscience.com/editors-blog/whats-most-dangerous-drug-world-according-science


David Nutt is the Edmond J. Safra professor of neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College London. He’s one of the world’s foremost experts on drugs, in terms of their use, their effects on the human brain, and international drug policy. Drug Science – formally the Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs – is a science-led drugs charity and research organization headed by Professor Nutt.

In 2010, a now-infamous paper was published by the group detailing their scientific analysis on the harms of drugs available in the U.K., both legal and illegal. Sixteen parameters of harm were chosen, and were divided in terms of the specific drug’s direct and individual effects on the user. A direct effect of a drug on a person could be death through an overdose, for example; an indirect effect could be damage caused by becoming infected with HIV while using contaminated syringes. Each drug’s effect on others and the wider society were also taken into account.

The list included mortality likelihood, dependence, impairment of mental functioning, loss of tangible socioeconomic things (such as a house or a job), physical injury, and criminal activities. The economic cost to the country, as well as the international damage (in terms of political and societal destabilization, for example) were also considered.

“Ranking twenty different drugs on sixteen different harms – that’s the best method we’ve had,” Professor Nutt told IFLScience. In a more general sense, the detrimental effects of drugs could be divided into two broad categories: harm to others and harm to users.

Economic vs Personal Harm



Image credit: How dangerous a drug is depends on what you mean by “harm.” Evdokimov Maxim/Shutterstock

This group also had to weight the different criteria – some harms were considered, albeit subjectively, more important than others. “There are two elements to it,” Nutt continued. “Deciding on the various harms – the 16 parameters – most experts agree on that. The more interesting question is how much you care about each of these different rankings; this is where the weightings come in. This could vary greatly depending on the group’s opinions.”

A European group also attempted the same process a few years after the publication of this Lancet study, in collaboration with Drug Science. In terms of the two groups, the British prioritized economic harm more, whereas the Europeans ranked personal harm as considerably more important.

One Every Ten Seconds

With all this taken into consideration, which drugs were considered the most harmful? Mostly due to its harm to others – including the wider economy – alcohol was considered to be by far the most dangerous. Heroin and crack cocaine were next on the list, mostly due to the harm to individual users, although they still had a significant “harm to others” component. Cannabis was ranked 8th for overall harm, whereas ecstasy and LSD were considered among the least harmful. Tobacco was ranked 6th, just behind cocaine.

Despite the European study using different harm weightings, the results were pretty much identical, with an extremely high level of agreement, or correlation, between the two studies. Only a few drugs – methamphetamine and ecstasy – changed positions slightly.



Image credit: The 2010 Lancet study’s official rankings. Alcohol is by far the most dangerous drug. Nutt et al./Lancet

“We repeated the study at a European level, expanding it from a smaller British scale – and our experts really agree with each other,” lead author Dr. Jan van Amsterdam, of the Academic Medical Center at the University of Amsterdam, told IFLScience. “We ranked it by personal harm, society harm, and economic harm – but the study was funded by the Ministry of Health, so there was [inevitably] a health focus.”

Regardless, the conclusion seems to be that alcohol is the most dangerous drug around. It directly causes a plethora of diseases, from cardiovascular and neurological disorders to liver degeneration; it indirectly causes transportation accidents, increases promiscuous activities and thus the likelihood of becoming infected by a range of pathogens, and makes an enormous dent in a nation’s economy as it pays for treatment for those suffering from alcohol-related problems.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 3.3 million deaths every year are caused by the harmful use of alcohol – that’s 5.9 percent of all annual deaths. Shockingly, this is roughly one person every 10 seconds.

A Matter of Perspective



Image credit: The war on drugs has not proven effective in stemming the flow of illegal drugs worldwide. Oleg Zabielin/Shutterstock

Asking the question “what is the world’s most dangerous drug” is fraught with complex political and social history – and many people believe all illegal drugs to be far more dangerous than legal ones. The legal status of various drugs is somewhat arbitrary, defined long ago in many Western nations by quirks of history.

Heroin, for example, was regularly used in the U.K., prescribed by the National Health Service (NHS) to treat heroin addicts – small doses were used to wean people off it. “There were 1,000 addicts in 1971,” Nutt pointed out. “Then the government decided to get “hard on drugs”; by 1990, there were 200,000 addicts.

“Drugs policy is deliberately used as a political tool. The illegalizing of cannabis, for example, was driven by pressure from Egypt which insisted the UN add cannabis to the anti-drug conventions in order for its members to get access to military bases there.”

Cannabis is criminalized in most states in the U.S., but despite the scientific evidence suggesting it’s nowhere near as dangerous as alcohol, it’s costing up to $20 billion (£13 billion) per year to enforce its illegality. Legalizing it in the U.S., however, would earn the government billions in tax dollars, while taking the drug out of the hands of the criminal organizations that profit from it. By helping to fund the black market and associated crime, cannabis is far more dangerous as an illegal substance than it would be as a legal one.

Not All Drugs Were Created Equal



Image credit: Marijuana is nowhere near as dangerous as alcohol. Teri Virbickis/Shutterstock

Governments often take a hard line on drugs in order to seem tough and, ultimately, more electable. It’s this attitude, exacerbated by the media, that encourages people to take an absolutist view: All drugs are extremely dangerous, and they must be stamped out at whatever cost. The scientific research, however, shows that not all drugs are created equal, and it’s the most widely available, easy to access drug of all that’s by far the most dangerous, by any measure.

If the danger of drugs is seen as a personal danger most of all – as the European study decided – then drug addiction problems should be treated more as a health issue, not as a policing issue. Alcoholism is treated as a health issue, and heroin addiction often isn’t – illegal substance abuse tends to be a criminal issue first and foremost.

All drugs are dangerous to some degree. Clearly, the idea that a drug is more dangerous just because it’s illegal is completely unfounded
friendly
0
funny
0
informative
0
agree
0
disagree
0
like
0
dislike
0
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
You cant rip out a single  page of your life but you can throw the whole book in the fire. -george sand

We die only once, but for such a long time.
                                 (Unknown)

Offline thetalkingasshole

  • Self-Transforming Machine Elf
  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • SA_Chat+
  • **
  • Join Date: Jan 1970
  • Location: Somewhere between the sacred silence and sleep
  • Posts: 694
  • Reputation Power: 0
  • thetalkingasshole has hidden their reputation power
  • Last Login:July 06, 2019, 06:22:48 AM
  • Always with an arm out and a leg up
Re: What is the most dangerous drug in the world?
« Reply #1 on: November 25, 2015, 12:23:52 PM »
Is this man serious?


There were only 1,000 heroin addicts in all of the U.K. in 1971?
friendly
0
funny
0
informative
0
agree
0
disagree
0
like
0
dislike
0
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
As I grew up, I opened my eyes and saw the real world, and I began to laugh, and I haven't stopped since

Offline sk8phaze (OP)

  • Junky Deluxe
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • SA_Chat+
  • **
  • Join Date: Jul 2015
  • Location: So Cal
  • Posts: 294
  • Reputation Power: 0
  • sk8phaze has hidden their reputation power
  • Gender: Male
  • Last Login:April 26, 2021, 09:11:55 AM
  • Sk8phaze
Re: What is the most dangerous drug in the world?
« Reply #2 on: November 25, 2015, 04:03:40 PM »
Yeah that seems very unlikely. I imagine there would be 100,000-200,000 at least in the 60's
friendly
0
funny
0
informative
0
agree
0
disagree
0
like
0
dislike
0
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
You cant rip out a single  page of your life but you can throw the whole book in the fire. -george sand

We die only once, but for such a long time.
                                 (Unknown)

Offline nick

  • Founder
  • Founders
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Administrator
  • *****
  • Join Date: Dec 2014
  • Location:
  • Posts: 712
  • Reputation Power: 0
  • nick has hidden their reputation power
  • Last Login:July 22, 2019, 05:49:59 AM
Re: What is the most dangerous drug in the world?
« Reply #3 on: November 25, 2015, 06:17:47 PM »
Is this man serious?


There were only 1,000 heroin addicts in all of the U.K. in 1971?

That's actually pretty accurate. In '71 outside the Piccadilly circus and wider London scene there were very few addicts-mostly ex soldiers and doctors.

Heroin exploded in the UK after the fall of the Shah of Iran in 1977 when many Iranian exiles imported their wealth as Heroin.
friendly
0
funny
0
informative
0
agree
0
disagree
0
like
0
dislike
0
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions

Offline Daughter of Dionysus

  • HeAd Is The Shit Up In This Bitch
  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Join Date: Jun 2015
  • Location: In the calm of the eye of the Storm
  • Posts: 788
  • Reputation Power: 38
  • Daughter of Dionysus is working their way up.Daughter of Dionysus is working their way up.Daughter of Dionysus is working their way up.
  • Gender: Female
  • Last Login:August 12, 2017, 11:25:29 AM
  • Don't Laugh, I'm Being Cool
Re: What is the most dangerous drug in the world?
« Reply #4 on: November 26, 2015, 08:36:55 PM »
During the beginning of
The war in Vietnam
There were less than 100,000
Heroin addicts in the states

So I can totally see that
Estimate of addicts
In the UK being accurate
friendly
0
funny
0
informative
0
agree
0
disagree
0
like
0
dislike
0
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
We are all curious about
The things
That may harm us

-Federico Garcia Lorca

Never underestimate the predictability of stupidity!
- BulletTooth Tony

Z

  • Guest
Re: What is the most dangerous drug in the world?
« Reply #5 on: November 26, 2015, 08:57:55 PM »
I will agree with alcohol being the most dangerous.  Horrendous health impacts, destructive socially and as a consequence economically.  I don't understand how alcohol became the legal drug.  Well, I do understand, but I find it absolutely ridiculous.  It just shows how little the governments of the world care about the citizens they are supposed to represent.
friendly
0
funny
0
informative
0
agree
0
disagree
0
like
0
dislike
0
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions

Offline sk8phaze (OP)

  • Junky Deluxe
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • SA_Chat+
  • **
  • Join Date: Jul 2015
  • Location: So Cal
  • Posts: 294
  • Reputation Power: 0
  • sk8phaze has hidden their reputation power
  • Gender: Male
  • Last Login:April 26, 2021, 09:11:55 AM
  • Sk8phaze
Re: What is the most dangerous drug in the world?
« Reply #6 on: November 26, 2015, 09:02:47 PM »
I agree Z. I'm an alcoholic and this stuff is POWERFUL. Its a cheap gaba-a agonist but alcohol is a "cell destroyer". It literally eats you alive and its very addictive. I'm enjoying a drink as I type this. Crazy bad things have happened cause i drink so much. 😞
« Last Edit: November 26, 2015, 09:05:45 PM by sk8phaze »
friendly
0
funny
0
informative
0
agree
0
disagree
0
like
0
dislike
0
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
You cant rip out a single  page of your life but you can throw the whole book in the fire. -george sand

We die only once, but for such a long time.
                                 (Unknown)

Offline StiffyAllDay

  • Newbie
  • Join Date: Dec 2015
  • Location: London - England
  • Posts: 7
  • Reputation Power: 2
  • StiffyAllDay is new on the scene.
  • Gender: Male
  • Last Login:March 31, 2016, 12:00:14 PM
Re: What is the most dangerous drug in the world?
« Reply #7 on: December 09, 2015, 08:13:52 PM »
Speak to any bouncer on a door and they will say Alcohol is the worst! This has been echoed in this thread! Incredibly more-ish, makes your inhibitions fade, makes you believe you can do things you can't and really shouldn't, lot's of people get violent on it, access to it so veeery open in a lot of countries, it is cheap... Need I go on?! Obviously there are drugs which are easier to OD on, and kill yourself, but damage to yourself, others and the environment around you has gotta go to drink!
friendly
0
funny
0
informative
0
agree
0
disagree
0
like
0
dislike
0
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
I want to die in a Heroin heaven!

Offline sk8phaze (OP)

  • Junky Deluxe
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • SA_Chat+
  • **
  • Join Date: Jul 2015
  • Location: So Cal
  • Posts: 294
  • Reputation Power: 0
  • sk8phaze has hidden their reputation power
  • Gender: Male
  • Last Login:April 26, 2021, 09:11:55 AM
  • Sk8phaze
Re: What is the most dangerous drug in the world?
« Reply #8 on: December 09, 2015, 08:25:19 PM »
Speak to any bouncer on a door and they will say Alcohol is the worst! This has been echoed in this thread! Incredibly more-ish, makes your inhibitions fade, makes you believe you can do things you can't and really shouldn't, lot's of people get violent on it, access to it so veeery open in a lot of countries, it is cheap... Need I go on?! Obviously there are drugs which are easier to OD on, and kill yourself, but damage to yourself, others and the environment around you has gotta go to drink!

Very well said StiffyAllDay. "Alcohol is a hell of a drug " (in a rick james chapell show kinda voice)lol. It's nice to see new members participating here. Have u made an intro thread yet? 
friendly
0
funny
0
informative
0
agree
0
disagree
0
like
0
dislike
0
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
You cant rip out a single  page of your life but you can throw the whole book in the fire. -george sand

We die only once, but for such a long time.
                                 (Unknown)

Offline StiffyAllDay

  • Newbie
  • Join Date: Dec 2015
  • Location: London - England
  • Posts: 7
  • Reputation Power: 2
  • StiffyAllDay is new on the scene.
  • Gender: Male
  • Last Login:March 31, 2016, 12:00:14 PM
Re: What is the most dangerous drug in the world?
« Reply #9 on: December 09, 2015, 08:27:17 PM »

Very well said StiffyAllDay. "Alcohol is a hell of a drug " (in a rick james chapell show kinda voice)lol. It's nice to see new members participating here. Have u made an intro thread yet?
[/quote]

Hey man! Erm, I made one in the introduce yourself part of the forum, is that what you are aiming at?
friendly
0
funny
0
informative
0
agree
0
disagree
0
like
0
dislike
0
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
I want to die in a Heroin heaven!

Offline sk8phaze (OP)

  • Junky Deluxe
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • SA_Chat+
  • **
  • Join Date: Jul 2015
  • Location: So Cal
  • Posts: 294
  • Reputation Power: 0
  • sk8phaze has hidden their reputation power
  • Gender: Male
  • Last Login:April 26, 2021, 09:11:55 AM
  • Sk8phaze
Re: What is the most dangerous drug in the world?
« Reply #10 on: December 11, 2015, 02:45:17 PM »

Very well said StiffyAllDay. "Alcohol is a hell of a drug " (in a rick james chapell show kinda voice)lol. It's nice to see new members participating here. Have u made an intro thread yet?

Hey man! Erm, I made one in the introduce yourself part of the forum, is that what you are aiming at?
[/quote]

Yep! Right on dude! Hope you like it here so far, were pretty cool dudes. And the girls are alright too 😉
friendly
0
funny
0
informative
0
agree
0
disagree
0
like
0
dislike
0
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
You cant rip out a single  page of your life but you can throw the whole book in the fire. -george sand

We die only once, but for such a long time.
                                 (Unknown)

Offline DeadCat

  • Deceased
  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Join Date: Jul 2015
  • Location:
  • Posts: 668
  • Reputation Power: 41
  • DeadCat is now getting very popular.DeadCat is now getting very popular.DeadCat is now getting very popular.DeadCat is now getting very popular.
  • Last Login:June 07, 2017, 04:01:37 PM
  • Welcome to our community forum ...
Re: What is the most dangerous drug in the world?
« Reply #11 on: December 11, 2015, 03:09:14 PM »
Is this man serious?


There were only 1,000 heroin addicts in all of the U.K. in 1971?

Probably the number of people in registered treatment, or extrapolated from that.
friendly
0
funny
0
informative
0
agree
0
disagree
0
like
0
dislike
0
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions

Offline Smacky-Doodle 2.0

  • All-Around Junker
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Join Date: Sep 2015
  • Location: right behind you....
  • Posts: 244
  • Reputation Power: 13
  • Smacky-Doodle 2.0 is new on the scene.
  • Gender: Male
  • Last Login:June 10, 2021, 03:26:07 AM
  • Welcome to drugs-and-users !
Re: What is the most dangerous drug in the world?
« Reply #12 on: December 11, 2015, 03:36:34 PM »
Alcohol/Benzos.....

I've lost 4 close friends from benzos combined with some other drug...alcohol, heroin, OC.

Fucking dangerous in that you can completely lose consciousness and still move around, drive, slash about with knife, etc.  VERY dangerous to those around the affected as well.
friendly
0
funny
0
informative
0
agree
0
disagree
0
like
0
dislike
0
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
I often ask myself:  "What would Trevor Philips do?"

Offline sprawlnod

  • Newbie
  • Join Date: Dec 2015
  • Location: SoCal
  • Posts: 15
  • Reputation Power: 3
  • sprawlnod is new on the scene.
  • Last Login:October 30, 2018, 10:35:41 AM
  • Kuffed
Re: What is the most dangerous drug in the world?
« Reply #13 on: December 11, 2015, 04:54:05 PM »
I will agree with alcohol being the most dangerous.

I agree, too.  In fact, I've spent the last 24 years performing a similar experiment on my own body.  Except I didn't limit my experiment to only 20 substances like this wussy study.  Alcohol is the most destructive substance of them all.
friendly
0
funny
0
informative
0
agree
0
disagree
0
like
0
dislike
0
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions

Offline sk8phaze (OP)

  • Junky Deluxe
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • SA_Chat+
  • **
  • Join Date: Jul 2015
  • Location: So Cal
  • Posts: 294
  • Reputation Power: 0
  • sk8phaze has hidden their reputation power
  • Gender: Male
  • Last Login:April 26, 2021, 09:11:55 AM
  • Sk8phaze
Re: What is the most dangerous drug in the world?
« Reply #14 on: December 11, 2015, 09:02:44 PM »
I will agree with alcohol being the most dangerous.

I agree, too.  In fact, I've spent the last 24 years performing a similar experiment on my own body.  Except I didn't limit my experiment to only 20 substances like this wussy study.  Alcohol is the most destructive substance of them all.

I dont think this is a wussy study as they throughly classified many different parameters and harm to self/others/economy. Please word your thoughts differently if you want to be taken seriously.
friendly
0
funny
0
informative
0
agree
0
disagree
0
like
0
dislike
0
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
You cant rip out a single  page of your life but you can throw the whole book in the fire. -george sand

We die only once, but for such a long time.
                                 (Unknown)

Tags:
 

Related Topics

  Subject / Started by Replies Last post
2 Replies
10051 Views
Last post July 12, 2015, 11:23:43 AM
by Chip
8 Replies
8245 Views
Last post August 20, 2015, 02:57:53 AM
by Opus
7 Replies
9968 Views
Last post February 23, 2016, 10:19:14 PM
by 10kites
0 Replies
5791 Views
Last post December 21, 2016, 09:46:43 PM
by nurse_K
4 Replies
7104 Views
Last post March 10, 2017, 04:24:06 PM
by sektorgaz
0 Replies
5157 Views
Last post September 10, 2017, 06:07:43 AM
by Chip
0 Replies
4553 Views
Last post October 07, 2017, 04:10:01 PM
by Chip
0 Replies
5153 Views
Last post November 06, 2017, 08:49:23 PM
by Chip
0 Replies
3588 Views
Last post June 30, 2019, 10:50:10 AM
by Chip
0 Replies
805 Views
Last post February 04, 2024, 10:19:05 PM
by Chip


dopetalk does not endorse any advertised product nor does it accept any liability for it's use or misuse





TERMS AND CONDITIONS

In no event will d&u or any person involved in creating, producing, or distributing site information be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, punitive, special or consequential damages arising out of the use of or inability to use d&u. You agree to indemnify and hold harmless d&u, its domain founders, sponsors, maintainers, server administrators, volunteers and contributors from and against all liability, claims, damages, costs and expenses, including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from the use of any part of the d&u site.


TO USE THIS WEBSITE YOU MUST AGREE TO THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS ABOVE


Founded December 2014
SimplePortal 2.3.6 © 2008-2014, SimplePortal