Trade rubbishes 'LSD safer than beer' study

Trade leaders have rubbished a new report that ranks alcohol and tobacco as more harmful than LSD, ecstasy and cannabis.

MPs argued for alcohol and tobacco to be placed in a "scientific scale"​ to "give the public a better sense of the relative harms involved"​.

The report, from the Science and Technology Committee, ranks alcohol as fifth in the league table of harmful drugs, and tobacco ninth.

I certainly wouldn't put alcohol in the same category as illegal drugs​Guild of Master Victuallers Association executive officer John Madden .

Professor David Nutt, who advises the Government on drug classification, said alcohol should be a borderline Class A drug and tobacco should be borderline Class B.

Dave Daly, head of pub manager's union NALHM, said: "I think it's a disgrace that alcohol is classed near cocaine. Of course alcohol is a mind-altering drug but it's controlled when it's taken within the pub."​

Guild of Master Victuallers Association executive officer John Madden said: "I certainly wouldn't put alcohol in the same category as illegal drugs. ​

"The aim of alcohol is to bring people together socially whereas drugs are something an individual would take on his own."

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Your Comments​Robert Feal-Martinez​ via email 31/07/2006"I think the auhtor of this report has probably over indulged on wackybacky at some stage. Since when have people who have consumed alcohol believe they can fly. In my former profession as a police officer one of my areas of expertise was drugs, this man is talking absolute nonesense. Clinically the long term effects of social use of alcohol are nothing like the long term 'sociel use' of LSD, Cannabis, or Ecstasy. There are certainly no short term comparisons, LSD etc can kill firts time around from one sinlge pill. Where do these people come from."

Ken Nason​ via email, 31/07/2006The opening salvo in the opening battle to send alcohol the same way that tobacco has gone.

The precident is set: Increase the fear factor by exaggerating the effects, harm, social unacceptability, then call for a ban!

Well Mr Government, erradicate the four top drug menaces first THEN concentrate on the implied evils of alcohol.

I for one would be more impressed and more likely to accept these words of wisdom if you did something about the other drugs that kill our kids and fuel our crime figures rather that concentrating on easy targets, exaggerating the blame and producing spin and lies to cover the incompitence the people of this country have had to live with for the past decade.

Bob Wold​ via email 01/08/2006"Were Mr.s Daly and Madden interviewed in a pub for these comments? Just wondering what their blood alcohol content was at the time of their interviews?

Alcohol is safer because it's taken within a pub? Is there a law in the UK that alcohol can only be consumed in a pub? If it's safer in a pub than outside the pub, wouldn't it be safe to assume then that cocaine would be safer if offered in pubs? If it was, I think alcohol would still cause more deaths per year than any of the illegal drugs mentioned, combined.

But, maybe Mr Daly has statistics showing that pub-consumed alcohol does not cause liver destruction or auto accidents. (not to mention the host of other alcohol related deaths, some quick and some frightening slow.)

And to Mr. Madden, I suspect he has never been to a Greatful Dead or Pink Floyd concert. The illegal drugs are meant to be used alone?

The aim of alcohol is to bring people together? Someone has terrible aim. How many marriages, families and friends has alcohol broken apart?

Maybe if you served LSD at your soccer (excuse me, football) games, there wouldn't be so many deaths in the stands. I've never seen LSD cause someone to think the fan from the other team, could fly...over the rail.

Please ask Mr. Feal-Martinez for the coroners report on just one death from one LSD tablet, in the last 50 years. For each one he produces, I will produce 50 reports of alcohol poisoning of school children.

You would all do well to tell the truth and let the cards fall where they may (should) rather than spread misconceptions that will only cause harm to your readers and their children, for generations to come. "

Curious Observer​ via email, 31/07/2006This is a difficult issue, especially bearing in mind that several generations have been bombarded with mis-information and propagana about all manner of drugs.

I think that a new system of classification of drugs could be helpful to the general public, as long as it is done properly - which unfortunately is nigh on impossible. Due to the vested interests of Big Business, politicians, and even some scientists there is no way a truly representative categorisation will ever be forthcoming in this country.

LSD is the one of the most potent drugs known to man. Nicotine is one of the most addictive. We all know that alcohol can be harmful. Again, this causes big problems in classification; how do you quantify harmfulness? Or make comparisons between two substances that have opposite or different effects on the mind or body?

"The aim of alcohol is to bring people together socially whereas drugs are something an individual would take on his own." - I have to disagree with this, as it is far too broad a generalisation. Many other drugs, including ecstacy, LSD, and cannabis ARE social drugs, they are just no longer socially acceptable. Of course, drugs such as heroin and crack cocaine (once addicted) have the effect of removing the user from society and diminishing all sense of what society is - until all the user can think about is their next hit, at which point they make no consideration for anyone around them in order to obtain their fix. A vicious circle, as we know.

Whilst I normally concur with comments made by

Robert Feal-Martinez on this site, I'm afraid I have to take issue here too.

"Since when have people who have consumed alcohol believe they can fly?" - Actually lots of people think they can do all sorts of things once they've had a few drinks, particularly young, testosterone filled males.

"Clinically the long term effects of social use of alcohol are nothing like the long term 'sociel use' of LSD, Cannabis, or Ecstasy." - As this is not a discussion forum but an area for the trade to make comments I'll not ask for you to reveal your source, but I will say that there have been many, many clinical studies carried out - and when you look into it there are a great deal of contradictions. There is no unanimous scientific opinion.

"There are certainly no short term comparisons, LSD etc can kill first time around from one sinlge pill." - I have never heard of someone dying first time around on LSD. Unless you take a scenario whereby a users' judgement is impaired and they believe that they can do something that they cannot, and then get themselves into a horrible accident, I would have to refute this claim. And such a scenario is seen all the time with alcohol and driving, amongst other things.

I'm not saying drugs are good and alcohol is bad, but I wouldn't say the opposite either. To be honest, I think the best and safest way forward would be to legalise all drugs, allow the government to make plenty of tax from their regulated sale, and ensure that users of all drugs, including alcohol, are kept much safer at the same time.

Freedom To Choose Your Own Poison!