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Core Topics => Drugs => Topic started by: sk8phaze on November 24, 2015, 07:05:46 PM
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http://www.iflscience.com/editors-blog/whats-most-dangerous-drug-world-according-science (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
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Is this man serious?
There were only 1,000 heroin addicts in all of the U.K. in 1971?
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Yeah that seems very unlikely. I imagine there would be 100,000-200,000 at least in the 60's
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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.
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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
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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.
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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. 😞
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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!
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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?
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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?
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Hey man! Erm, I made one in the introduce yourself part of the forum, is that what you are aiming at?
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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 😉
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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When it comes to drugs, they all have their inherent dangers associated with them...
But, If I had to pick one. I'd pick benzos.
They're pretty accessible, they seem harmless. But once you've developed a habit with em', that's all she wrote.
You're all in.... And you're in for a ride if you wanna quit em'. WD that makes a dope kick seem like Disneyland.
They're incredibly dangerous when mixed with other popular depressants, ie dope, alcohol, Maintenance Meds, etc.
And if you're in certain circles or pay attention to the news, you'd notice that people are dropping like flies on the shit.
IMO, it's them sneaky fucking meds that get under your skin and change you before you even knew you were in trouble to begin with.
Great when used for short term treatment of anxiety, depression and panic attacks.
But long term... I'd stay away.
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I'd say krocodil. They literally put drano and other cleaning products in it. Average life span for an addict is 2 years.
this guy....
well sir, they DON'T "literally put drano" in it. as a matter of fact, they are using a shitty form of a red phosphorous/iodine meth reduction on codeine tablets to remove the 6 position O-Methyl and reduce the 3position O-Methyl to Methyl.
Just because gasoline is used as a step in the reaction, does not mean they're actually putting it INTO THE end product. It also doesn't open the door for everyone to say all types of stuff like Drano and cleaning supplies are used in the synth. I'm not trying to be a dick, you're just misinformed, and I'm attempting to help in that area...
I'll give you an example:
when making GHB from GABA, the use of brick cleaner (HCl, 33% in H2O) and toxic poisons (Sodium Nitrite) as well as industrial solvents (DiCholoroMethane) are all employed to create the chemical reactions needed, BUT those are not left in the final, white crystilline Na-GHB when it's all said and done....
I will say though, it's a GREAT scare tactic that the media and War on Drugs uses to keep people away form those scary drugs. lol.
Also, FYI, the main component in KROKODIL is Desomorphine, and it's not harmful at all. It's actually been perscribed as a pharmecuetical in Sweden under the trade name Permonid.
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When it comes to drugs, they all have their inherent dangers associated with them...
But, If I had to pick one. I'd pick benzos.
They're pretty accessible, they seem harmless. But once you've developed a habit with em', that's all she wrote.
You're all in.... And you're in for a ride if you wanna quit em'. WD that makes a dope kick seem like Disneyland.
They're incredibly dangerous when mixed with other popular depressants, ie dope, alcohol, Maintenance Meds, etc.
And if you're in certain circles or pay attention to the news, you'd notice that people are dropping like flies on the shit.
IMO, it's them sneaky fucking meds that get under your skin and change you before you even knew you were in trouble to begin with.
Great when used for short term treatment of anxiety, depression and panic attacks.
But long term... I'd stay away.
I know people have different opinions on the matter, and most I've heard say benzos, but I think opiates are harder to kick. I've kicked a 7-8 month everyday benzo habit that was at least 8 mgs of kpins a day but up in the 20s if I wanted to get fucked up. It was long and tough, took 3 months to really get fully through it, and I lost 40 lbs and fucked up my entire life because I couldn't function but I got through it. I've never successfully gotten away from opiates for any length of time. I still use benzos occasionally but no where close to daily. Like once every couple weeks. To me, a benzo kick felt more like a normal sickness... it was symptoms... many of them. But an opiate kick is in your bones and emotional... it gnaws at your soul in a way that benzo wd didn't do to me.
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I'd say krocodil. They literally put drano and other cleaning products in it. Average life span for an addict is 2 years.
if that were the case, youd be talking about the drug + drano. would you consider heroin a lot more dangerous if it was cut with drano? or would you just assume the drano is why its so dangerous?
iirc its gasoline and red phosphorus that really fuck things up. the actual drug is desomorphine and as far as I know is no worse than any other opiate.
Ive seen a lot of people fuck their lives up with drugs but never saw it happen faster than with heavy stimulants.
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the combination of stimulants and one's first time can be too much of a hook.
daily uses of high dose stimulants are deleterious to one's body and mind ... apart from fatal opiate overdoses.
but that dirty krokodil is extremely disturbing and highly toxic ... it gets my vote too.
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Krokodil is weird... it's cheap and strong but only dangerous because of the uncleaned product... but that's what people are using over there neighbor... I mean, that's the form it's coming in and is commonly available and at least the media hasn't reported on people cleaning the stuff up. People who are surviving are losing their motor skills and crazy stuff...
Still, if I was to vote off of experience, I'd say crack. There's no other drug I've spent $1000 in a day on and used it all... it has the potential to pull you in and spiral out of control blazingly fast. The first hit or two of crack is so good...too good... it all goes downhill from there... and fast. I love the taste too... so much better than a coke drip.
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TOP 10 list of heroin inspired songs-
#10- "Dead Flowers" The Rolling Stones 1971
#09- "Fire & Rain James Taylor 1969
#08 "Running To Stand Still" U2 1987
#07 "Mr. Brownstone" Guns & Roses 1987
#06 "Under The Bridge" Red Hot Chili Peppers 1991
#05 "Sam Stone" John Prine 1971
#04 "The Needle And The Damage Done" Neil Young 1972
#03 "Hurt" Nine Inch Nails 1995
#02 "Hotel California" Eagles 1977
#01 "Heroin" The Velvet Underground 1967
I believe Alcohol is most definitely the most devastatingly dangerous drug ever. I think also there may have been many more heroin addicts than 100,000 prior to Vietnam-I am thinking of the 1940-50's and jazz- jazz artists(and the huge following) during this time period and how they remained creative and actually prospered in their careers in spite of addictions to heroin was way hidden-as far as fact gathering goes back then.
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I'd say krocodil. They literally put drano and other cleaning products in it. Average life span for an addict is 2 years.
This is a pet peeve of mine.
People think the same thing with meth when they say that people put drano or battery acid or other solvents.
Folks aren't literally pouring drain cleaner into the drug. They're using sodium hydroxide (lye, a component of drano) to adjust the pH. Usually people just obtain lye or separate it from the rest of the stuff in drano. When you do the drug you aren't actually injecting drano, the final product is cleaned up - with krok it's cleaned poorly and the other components left in it fuck you up.
I had to argue with people who think that solvents such as acetone or isopropyl alcohol are left over in the final products, unaware that solvents evaporate out.
To add to the discussion, I'd definitely have to to with stimulants, especially long acting stims or stim preparations - methamphetamine and l-lysinedextroamphetamine (vyvanse). It's so easy to get strung out even off your first hit. You do it at 7pm and you're wired until the sun comes up and have to go to work. We'll you can't go to work when you're drained and crashing so hard, so you do another dose to keep going, and a week long cycle begins. The mental faculties start to go to shit and high dose of amphetamines combined with sleep deprivation cause all hell to break loose.
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Stimulants is a good one that you might not expect...I have no idea what the MOST dangerous drug would be but stimulants and benzos can be really insidious in that you aren't likely to OD, but they have a way of affecting behavior in a way not at all to your own benefit, heh.
The right mix of amphetamines and benzos can actually help me get through a good 6 hours of being fairly dopesick believe it or not, but despite that it's really not a good idea for me: I haven't done anything stupid as a result of that mix, but a drug that gives you energy combined with a drug that destroys your inhibitions, combined with horrible miserable withdrawal from a drug that costs money to get well, is a dangerous recipe for desperation.
Sort of going off that, I think the most dangerous drug is the one that is unidentified or misidentified, especially the latter. I wound up in the hospital about a year and a half ago due to an overdose of what I THOUGHT was ethylphenidate before I took it, but now believe to be 3-MeO-PCP, really scary shit, was way waaaaay too much and I had no idea what I had taken. Basically totally annihilated my consciousness for a good day or so.