A new study has discovered that alcohol is a more dangerous drug than heroin and cocaine. The report is from Britain's Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs. Its research classified drugs on the basis of the harm they do in our society. Alcohol came top of the list, with heroin second and cocaine third. Researchers created nine categories of harm that drugs can do "from death to damage to mental functioning and loss of relationships," and seven types of harm they do to others. Experts in Britain are now calling for new laws to control alcohol. Don Shenker from the group Alcohol Concern said: "The government should now urgently ensure alcohol is made less affordable and invest in prevention and treatment services to deal with the rise in alcohol dependency that has occurred."
The research was led by a former government drugs advisor, Professor David Nutt. He has been calling for a change in the way Britain classifies drugs for many years. He was fired in 2009 for his views and claimed the government was more interested in politics than scientific evidence. Any laws that make alcohol a dangerous drug would cause harm to any government trying to win an election. However, the current study is very extensive and strongly suggests he was right to call for a reclassification. Professor Nutt told Britain's Guardian newspaper: "We need to rethink how we deal with drugs in the light of these new findings." One suggested change is that cigarettes are put in the same category as cocaine, because they cause as much harm to the individual and society.
Vocabulary
- There are some words in green in the text. Choose 2 of them and write a synonym, an opposite, a definition or a sentence.
- Match these words from the text to their definition.
Damage / urgently / rise / fired / current
- An increase in amount, number or intensity.
- Of the present time; happening now.
- Harm caused to somebody.
- Requiring immediate attention or action.
- Dismissed an employee from a job.
Comprehension
- Say if these sentences about the text are true or false. Don't forget to copy the evidence from the text.
- Alcohol is considered by experts to be the most harmful of all drugs.
- Prohibiting alcohol would be the best option for any government to continue ruling a country.
what would you say in these situations?
- You are at a party. Somebody is trying to convince you to drink alcohol. Refuse politely.
- You've noticed that your dad has been smoking too much lately. Give him some advice about the dangers of smoking.
Watch this video. What do you think it is about?
