Lancet article considers alcohol more dangerous than drugs

(SACNS Europe; SACNS Audio-Visual; Social Justice South Africa)

français | English | Afrikaans | español

​


Download/Stream Audio Article



​​​​​​Lancet Publishes contrary and controversial alcohol/drugs study|​
​​
​01 | November (11th Month) | 2010 AD​
​​
​Article by Marc Aupiais​
​​
​In a controversial article, the Lancet Medical journal has given a platform to David ​​Nutt, a controversial scientist who was fired from the British government for his ​​controversial view that dangerous drugs should be classified as less dangerous ​​than they are by the British government. He has suggested that horse riding is ​​more dangerous than ecstasy use, and was angered when the British government ​​refused to accept some of his more controversial views.​
​​
​The Lancet study considers Alcohol the most dangerous drug in use, 8 times ​​more dangerous than ecstasy. Over a dozen factors were taken into account ​​ranging from lost friendships to damage to the environment, with the acute ​​danger to drugs users themselves only one of many factors. A commentary also ​​appearing in the edition of Lancet noted that the study did not look at cross ​​usage of drugs, but said this was beyond its scope.​
​​
​Professor David Nutt was fired by then home secretary Alan Johnson for ​​demanding ministers listen to the controversial advice of his government Advisory ​​Council on the Misuse of Drugs, which had fronted his views on drugs in a ​​different format, according to the Daily Mail. Professor David Nutt told the BBC ​​that alcohol is a terrible societal ill in his perspective and that this is because it is ​​so available.​
​​
​The direct connection between drugs, violent crime, the Taliban, drug lords, and ​​organized crime has not seemed as important to the Lancet "experts" as Alcohol's ​​negative effects. It also does not seem to note that alcohol when taken in ​​moderate amounts is not extensively dangerous to health, and that there are ​​many forms of alcohol.​
​​
​The study was released just as California considers legalising Cannabis use by ​​the population in general. Cannabis is known to cause schizophrenia in those with ​​genetic predispositions.​
​​
​The study seems to have relied on value judgements in every case made by "the ​​experts". David Nutt, and another scientist who quit after the British parliament ​​had him fired, are two thirds of the authors of the study.​
​​
​CNN, and a BBC blog, appear to have portrayed the Lancet study very ​​favourably. A possible factor in Alcohol's high danger rating is the fact that ​​alcohol is legal and openly used and acceptable in society, while drugs are not. ​​The study is being used by drugs legalization special interests campaigners to ​​attempt to get narcotics legalized, despite the fact the study does nothing to ​​reduce the huge personal harm of using narcotics.​
​​
​While most adults consume alcohol, many with no negative effects, much fewer ​​people regularly take narcotics, giving heed to laws introduced due to high road ​​accidents, deaths, and other preventable societal ills.​​​​​​​​



Sources:

All sources are Secular.

British Sources:

Daily Mail (Independent of 
the state)
"Alcohol 'more dangerous 
than crack, heroin and 
Ecstasy'"01 / November | 11 / 2010
KATHERINE FAULKNER
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1325472/Alcohol-dangerous-crack-heroin.html#ixzz141ucDMiN
BBC World News (British 
Broadcasting 
Corporation) (Not 
Independent of the state)
"Alcohol 'more harmful than heroin' says Prof David Nutt"
01 / November | 11 / 2010
Staff report
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11660210?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

American, Independent of 
the State, Liberal

CNN (Central News 
Network) 
Study: Alcohol 'most 
harmful drug,' followed by 
crack and heroin

01 / November | 11 / 2010
staff report
http://edition.cnn.
com/2010/HEALTH/11/01/alcohol.harm/

Accent learnt in the womb- German Study suggests- BBC

(South African Catholic; c.f. BBC [British Broadcasting Corporation] (British; Governmental: but acts de facto more independent; Secular) 06 / 11 | November / 2009; Inside Catholic (Independent; Catholic) 06 / 11 | November / 2009)

Note by Marc Aupiais (Editor)

This is just a note of another service's article, click the date below to read their full article:

The following will be a quotation from an article by the BBC (Secular; Governmental; British), as relates to a study by the German University of Wurzburg, a study which was lead by a Ms Kathleen Wermke. The BBC article on their page, has audio, where you can judge the crying yourself. The adoption of accent in crying, possibly is part of the child's instinct, to form a bond with its mother, crying is now thought important in developing language:

"Babies 'cry in mother's tongue'

German researchers say babies begin to pick up the nuances of their parents' accents while still in the womb.

The researchers studied the cries of 60 healthy babies born to families speaking French and German.

The French newborns cried with a rising "accent" while the German babies' cries had a falling inflection.

Writing in the journal Current Biology, they say the babies are probably trying to form a bond with their mothers by imitating them.

The findings suggest that unborn babies are influenced by the sound of the first language that penetrates the womb."

(BBC [British Broadcasting Corporation] (British; Governmental: but acts de facto more independent; Secular) 06 / 11 | November / 2009)