If you’re up for it, check out this journal article that takes a stab at ranking different drugs based on their relative risk. I discuss it when I talk to our medical students about substance use in their patients.
Some quick ‘n dirty takeaways:
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(10)61462-6/abstract
Some quick ‘n dirty takeaways:
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(10)61462-6/abstract
Comments
The authors made a good effort; they used things like physical, social, relational, and economic harm to try and paint a picture.
This article was published in 2010, and a lot has changed since then.
It’s also based on the UK, and things like culture make a difference. (Many of us can attest to the drinking culture in England, for ex.) Following this, local law also matters.
Alcohol is the worst on harm by a solid margin. They count issues like drunk driving, the typical life course of problematic drinking, and other harms.
You can’t, in the traditional sense of the word. But overdose isn’t the only physical harm of a drug. They considered things like CHS and issues tied to smoking. (Combustion is dirty.)
I don't really see any use of heroin at all where I am. It just feels like fentanyl replaced it
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0140673610614626
It is the ONLY drug with any real connection to drug-induced violence. Psychoactive Substances and Violence, US DOJ, Feb. 1994.
That's not to mention the health problems from alcohol use.
Marijuana isn't even a blip on the radar by comparison.