006: Alcohol is the most dangerous drug in the world

Alcohol is the most dangerous drug in the world and you probably don’t even realize it.

 

 

David Nutt, psychiatrist at imperial college in the UK and former Chairman of the UK advisory council on drugs.

 

- Kills 3 million people worldwide

 

- Was fired for suggesting alcohol was most dangerous drug

 

- In the USA alcohol is responsible for 1/3 of all traffic fatalities

 

- With homicides ½ were intoxicated and 2/3 of domestic violence victims

 

- You’re likely to be a victim is doubled as well

 

Harm score from

 

- Measures drugs on a score of 16 (9 measure harm to individual user and 7 measure societal factors)

 

- Heroine, crack, and Meth are more dangerous when only individual factors, but even so, alcohol is the 4th.

 

- Tobacco is the 7th most harmful drug. 9/10 people can handle alcohol, but 0/10 people can smoke. QUIT SMOKING NOW

 

- Important to not confuse legality with dangerousness. The reasons some drugs are legal are mainly cultural and political.

 

- Marijuana is the gateway drug? Nope. It’s alcohol and even more dangerous than ecstasy and LSD