Alcohol Worse Than Heroin

Alcohol is more dangerous for humans than crack or heroin, according to a surprising assessment by a British drug expert. Professor David Nutt's scoring system ranked alcohol three times more harmful than cocaine or tobacco; ecstasy, mushrooms, and LSD were among the least harmful. The rankings were created based on input from experts, who scored substances based on harm caused to users as well as harm to others, reports the BBC.

The panel concluded that heroin, crack, and meth were the most harmful drugs to individuals, but alcohol, heroin, and crack were the most harmful to others. When the rankings were combined, alcohol topped the list as the most harmful overall. The findings run contrary to the British government's drug classification system, and Nutt was booted last year from his job as national drugs chief because of his views. He then established an Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs to examine substance abuse issues. (Click here for more "alcohol is bad for you" stories.)