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Ten Most Dangerous Drugs
By Dr. Ben Kim on March 25, 2007
According to a study published this month in The Lancet, alcohol and tobacco rank among the ten most dangerous substances used by humans. Both alcohol and tobacco have been assessed to be more dangerous than illegal drugs like marijuana or ecstasy.
The following three factors were considered in ranking the harmfulness of each drug that was evaluated:
- Physical harm to the user
- Addictive potential of the drug
- The drug's overall impact on society
Psychiatrists who specialize in treating addictive behavior and legal or police officials with scientific or medical expertise were asked to assign a score to each of the three factors listed above for each drug that was evaluated in this study. All told, 20 different drugs were evaluated, including cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, amphetamines, and LSD.
Ranked from most to least dangerous, the ten most dangerous substances were deemed to be:
- Heroin - popular street names include smack, skag, and junk.
- Cocaine - often referred to as snow, flake, coke, and blow.
- Barbiturates - popular slang names include yellow jackets, reds, blues, Amy's, and rainbows.
- Street Methadone
- Alcohol
- Ketamine - a powerful hallucinogen, often referred to as Special K.
- Benzodiazepines - a family of sedative drugs.
- Amphetamines - known as greenies among baseball players.
- Tobacco
- Buprenorphine - also called bupe or subbies.
The remaining drugs that were assessed in this study ranked as follows:
- Cannabis - includes marijuana.
- Solvents - volatile substances that can be inhaled, such as glue, nail polish remover, paints, hair spray, and lighter fuel (gas).
- 4-MTA - is a derivative of amphetamine and has similar effects to ecstasy.
- LSD
- Methylphenidate - central nervous system stimulant, commonly sold as ritalin.
- Anabolic steroids
- GHB - short for Gamma hydroxybutyrate, a powerful central nervous system depressant, most commonly known as the date rape drug.
- Ecstasy
- Alkyl nitrates - group of drugs commonly referred to as poppers.
- Khat - an amphetamine-like stimulant.
It is estimated that tobacco causes 40 percent of all hospital illnesses, while alcohol is involved in more than 50 percent of all visits to hospital emergency rooms. In light of these statistics, the authors of this study question why alcohol and tobacco are legal to use within current drug policies for Britain and the United States, while less harmful drugs like ecstasy and LSD are deemed illegal to use.
The bottom line: alcohol and tobacco are two of the most dangerous substances that you can expose yourself to on a regular basis. In terms of overall potential to cause harm, if used regularly, alcohol and tobacco belong in the same category as other recreational drugs like cocaine and heroin.
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10 most dangerous drugs
Dear Dr. Kim
I appreciate the normally grounded information that you provide.
While no one can defend alchohol or tabacco use, if anyone is to believe the title selected "Top 10 Most Dangerous Drugs" then the list must be valid. It is hard not to suspect that this is just more of the mainstream "blame the patient" strategy when considerably more dangerous drugs like Vioxx, Tylenol, Vaccines (Thimerosal), warfarin/coumadin, statins etc, are excluded.
I suspect that is the list was based upon valid stats, smoking and drinking would not even make the top 50.
Sincerely
Rob
Top Ten Most Dangerous Drugs
Yup I agree with Rob here. The amount of Drugs prescribed to one person is unbelievable and the drugs prescribed do much harm to the body in a very short amount of time. I have experienced this first hand. The top 10 listed here I have not experienced many but the alcohol and tobacco are two I have. The tobacco has not done anywhere near the damage to my system as the ONE cortisone shot I received some 10 years ago and am still suffering the consequences of that.
10 most dangerous drugs
I found it interesting that marijuana made it at the top of the second list of harmful drugs. I believe there is a major misconception about marijuana that tends to be overlooked. Marijuana contains an active ingredient, Tetrahydrocannabinol,or THC, which has never had a documented fatality reaction to it. Now, what can be harmful when using marijuana is inhaling the toxic components, carbon monoxide and tar, just like when smoking tobacco. In fact, when someone smokes marijuana they are inhaling up to five times more toxins than with tobacco. But, I do want to point out the main reason to this discussion is that THC is actually not as harmful as one might think. When marijuana is consumed in other ways than smoking it, e.g. oral consumption of THC in foods or vaporizing the plant, is similar to taking a low dosage of muscle relaxers. Without the smoking toxins, THC can have effects of short-term memory loss and lack of coordination, all which occur only while the THC is active in the body. These effects seem minute compared to other drugs' effects of liver and brain damage.
Actually, Chronic effects of
Actually,
Chronic effects of THC(irreversible even after sustained absitinence) are progressively coming to light with further research. These are indicated for prolonged, heavy users and mainly concern impairment of attention, memory and cognitive executive functions.
There are also concerns for neural development, both in adolescents and unborn babies as they are exposed to it via the placenta and even later via the breast milk.
Marijuana has also been implicated(though no concrete causal relationship has yet been proven) in the precipitation of schizophrenia. It has been proven to exacerbate schizophrenia too.
Marijuana does have medicinal benefits, but many of these can be reproduced with other cannabinoids. THC also produces neurotoxicity and increased neural cell death.
It is essentially impossible to have a fatal overdose on though.
Relatively speaking you could say that MArijuana is not a dangerous drug.
But taken on its own, without comparison to other more harmful drugs, it seems foolish and ignorant to me to say that it is not dangerous.
I think that the author is
I think that the author is focusing on psychoactive drugs. Vioxx isn't even on the market anymore, it was withdrawn in 2004.
Dangerous drugs
Alcohol and tobacco are still legal but very dangerous is because they are very big business. To list them as dangerous would mean the collapse of two very big industries that not only employ millions of workers, but make billions of dollars/pounds for a few very powerful people. Also, the sale of tobacco and alcohol raise millions more in taxation income for the governments. Money and control of the population come before health in the eyes of those who run the world.
dangerous drugs
Interesting point submitted by Fiona - "alcohol and tobacco are still legal but very dangerous because they are very big business". Much of the trade in illegal drugs is even bigger business with the proceeds undermining the political and judicial systems of many countries. Also whilst supply is in the hands of criminals there is a vested interest in moving users to greater dependency. Perhaps it's time to consider bringing these illegal drugs within the law so that the proceeds can be channeled back into education and treatment and the socio-economic effects of the illegal trade lessened. It seems purely arbitrary or an accident of history that alcohol and tobacco are legal and the rest on the list are not. Criminals will always win out in the drugs war. They have more resources, perhaps more resourcefulness and certainly fewer scruples. So maybe it's time to think about a different strategy.
List of poisonous substances
Tobacco is nothing compared to alcohol. To become seriously ill from smoking, you need to smoke heavily, and probably for years, also. To destroy yourself or someone else completely (death), or to cause the most unspeakable social and emotional misery, or physical damage, you need to overconsume alcolol - JUST ONCE. No, and none of these substances should be banned. What's next? "Junk food"? Who pays for the new, giant-sized government department to enforce all this?
I am not in favour of tobacco or alcohol, only saying that you don't ban something because some people cannot handle it. I can go without smoking for a whole year, then buy a pack, then go without for another year. And no one is going to deprive me of this, no selfrighteous bureaucrat that is for sure.
List of poisonous substances
To me its so sick that I can buy drinks or cigarettes at one of eighteen million places, and I can get more prescriptions from my doctor than my medicine cabinet can hold, but I risk fine and/or arrest when I try to buy a little marijuana from my local dealer.
I dont like this study and this is why....
The fact that ectasy and LSD are so low on the list, yet are some of the most damaging drugs to take. A lot of regular people drink once or twice a week, for 20 years, but if these people were doing one of these drugs mentioned above that much, they would be completely insane after a few years, if not a few months. I know that addiction and other things are considered in this study, and that people are less likely to do lsd every week, but some people might think, after reading this study, that ectasy is a "safe alternative" to alcohol. I just dont agree with the way this study is portrayed.
Both LSD and Ecstasy are
Both LSD and Ecstasy are safer than Alcohol; It's just that street ecstasy is often cut with speed, meth, or ketamine to conserve money and supplies. If you managed to find pure MDMA/MDA (often a crystalline white powder called "Molly" for slang) then you have clean ecstasy. Just make sure you replenish yourself with water often as you can - it's possible that you can dehydrate and overheat from constant moving/dancing for long periods.
LSD can cause flashbacks, or if you take too much you can have a "bad trip" - which can be easily be prevented provided internet guides.
DANGEROUS DRUGS
Hello. I don't know if an article has ever been done but I think there should be one concerning pain medicine. One of my closest friends has a problem with abusing them and I have known other people who have abused them.(taking them for reasons other then pain related issues) I myself at one point would find any reason to go into the Doctor to get them. (mainly percocet) I initially was prescribed them when I broke my finger and from then on for back and leg pain.I suffer from anxiety, depression, and panic disorder and I also used to sleep on average about 3-5 hours a day in seperate intervals. Percocet was like my cure all(seriously). I would go to bed early I would wake up and be motivated to take my daughter out to the park and for walks, I would go to the store and not feel the anxiety, social settings didn't bother me, I wouldn't argue and get upset with people, I was really calm and I felt really good(happy) etc.
Then came the morning I woke up and didn't have any. I could barely get out of bed. My entire body hurt. I had a half of a percocet in the bottle and took it and almost instantly the feelings diminished. This was when I realized I had a problem and that I didn't want to depend on medicine to make me better but rather change my lifestyle and get there naturally. I also knew about all the tylonol I was taking that is contained in the pill. Even over the counter tylonol tells you not to use it longer then ten days.
Me and a few of my friends were taking these pain meds( percocet, vicodin) during this time but I stopped. I honestly don't take anything anymore except my insulin. My friend just came by yesterday asking me if I knew anyone that had any pain meds or if I still had any xanax or ativan. She buys the pills. I feel bad for her and I know when people can't get ahold of their high they usually go to the next closest thing thats easy to get and I fear one day she will be doing heroine or some other street drug.
People need to really see the devastation of pain killers and how they ruin peoples lives. This is one of the most dangerous drugs to me because it's easier to take them without worrying because you get them from your doctor. Also they really do make life better for the moment and you feel like everything is ok, but once the medicine stops working the only way to function is to get more. It's like the medical equivalent to any highly addictive street drug. I also want to say I think doctors loosely prescribe these drugs and don't think of the patients well being. I would get them easily at any E.R for anything from back pain to a tooth ache.
Some Issues
I think one problem with this list is there is no consideration from the concentration of drugs. Other drugs being compared with alcohol which would be at number 1 if it was 100%, so where do you draw the line as to concentration.
Also, they forgot sugar. Most first world countries have strong addictions to it and it IS a drug which causes significant problems for both individuals and society. Unless you count the leaders (dictators).