Tobacco and cocaine are equally harmful; ecstasy among least damaging
According to a new study published in the prestigious medical journal the Lancet, alcohol is more harmful than heroin or crack, while tobacco and cocaine are equally harmful and LSD and ecstacy are among the least problematic, the BBC reports. The report ranks 20 drugs on 16 measures of harm that mark how they impact users, and society at large. Heroin, crack and crystal meth were found to be the most harmful to individuals, but alcohol, heroin and crack cocaine were the worst for society. When scores were added together, alcohol came out the worst. Alcohol is not as addictive as crack cocaine, co-author David Nutt said, but it’s so widely used that it is a big problem.