Alcohol Tobacco vs. Illegal Drugs - 765 Words

In the article â€Å"Alcohol, Tobacco Worse Than Illegal Drugs† a new British study found that alcohol and tobacco are more dangerous than some illegal narcotics such as marijuana or Ecstasy. Professor David Nutt of Britain’s Bristol University and some colleagues proposed the study and found a new structure for the â€Å"classification of harmful substances based on the actual risk posed to society† (Conroy, 2007). The researchers used three factors to determine how harmful any drug is : â€Å"the physical harm to the user, the drug’s potential for addiction, and the impact on society of drug use† (Conroy, 2007). Then two groups of experts (psychiatrists or medical expertise) were asked to select scores of twenty different drugs. In the rankings,†¦show more content†¦The three factors that the researchers creates a measurement to determine the rankings. This scale shows accuracy and helps support validity and reliability. It’s imp ortant to know the truth about this topic because many people think that marijuana and some other illegal drugs are more dangerous than alcohol and tobacco. However, the article informs people that alcohol and tobacco are more harmful than one thinks and that countries should provide a different way to classify drugs. References Alcohol . (2006, March 06). Retrieved from http://www.gdcada.org/ statistics/alcohol.htm Cocaine and crack cocaine abuse. (n.d.). Retrieved from http:/ www.psychiatric-disorders.com/articles/substance-abuse/cocaine- abuse.php Conroy, S. (2007, March 24). Alcohol, tobacco worse than illegal drugs. Associates Press, Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/ 2007/03/24/health/main2604653.shtml Heroin: one of the most dangerous addictive drugs. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.psychiatric-disorders.com/articles/substance-abuse/ heroin-abuse.php Marijuana . (2010). 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