Is the War On Drugs Really Worth it????
(Scroll to bottom to see results if you are lazy)
The extremely negative perception of "drugs" has made studying the effects of these on the body and to others taboo. Studies have also had an unfortunate stigma for either searching for only negative effects or being unfairly subjective. Finding research that is credible is thus a task. However objectionable stigmas associated with drugs are being shed as we enter an era of openness towards researching this once blackballed topic.
Studies on drug usage have also failed and overlooked analyzing how harmful drugs are to society. This is strange when one of the largest problems facing the world is crime created from the criminalization of drugs, when we know aren't even looking to see if the criminalization is worth it in the first place.
Drug harms in the UK: a multicriteria decision analysis is definitely the most credible study on drugs and the harm that can stem from usage to date. The study which evaluated not only the harmful outcomes drugs can lead to for a user, but also those around the user was conducted by the Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs. This study is the most conclusive of its kind for a number of reasons.
Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) modeling was used on 20 drugs with 16 criteria. 9 for harms that a drug produced in the individual, 7 for harm displaced on others. Each drug was evaluated on a 100 point scale, and weighted to demonstrate seriousness. 100 being the most harmful and 0 meaning no harm can be caused. Harms split into five groups: physical, psychological, and social for both the individual and others (Figure 1; Below)
The extremely negative perception of "drugs" has made studying the effects of these on the body and to others taboo. Studies have also had an unfortunate stigma for either searching for only negative effects or being unfairly subjective. Finding research that is credible is thus a task. However objectionable stigmas associated with drugs are being shed as we enter an era of openness towards researching this once blackballed topic.
Studies on drug usage have also failed and overlooked analyzing how harmful drugs are to society. This is strange when one of the largest problems facing the world is crime created from the criminalization of drugs, when we know aren't even looking to see if the criminalization is worth it in the first place.
Drug harms in the UK: a multicriteria decision analysis is definitely the most credible study on drugs and the harm that can stem from usage to date. The study which evaluated not only the harmful outcomes drugs can lead to for a user, but also those around the user was conducted by the Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs. This study is the most conclusive of its kind for a number of reasons.
Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) modeling was used on 20 drugs with 16 criteria. 9 for harms that a drug produced in the individual, 7 for harm displaced on others. Each drug was evaluated on a 100 point scale, and weighted to demonstrate seriousness. 100 being the most harmful and 0 meaning no harm can be caused. Harms split into five groups: physical, psychological, and social for both the individual and others (Figure 1; Below)
Criterion for judging is assessed with the following categories...
Drug-specific mortality
Intrinsic lethality of the drug expressed as ratio of lethal dose and standard dose (for adults)
Drug-related mortality
The extent to which life is shortened by the use of the drug (excludes drug-specific mortality)—eg, road traffic accidents, lung cancers, HIV, suicide
Drug-specific damage
Drug-specific damage to physical health—eg, cirrhosis, seizures, strokes, cardiomyopathy, stomach ulcers
Drug-related damage
Drug-related damage to physical health, including consequences of, for example, sexual unwanted activities and self-harm, blood-borne viruses, emphysema, and damage from cutting agents
Dependence
The extent to which a drug creates a propensity or urge to continue to use despite adverse consequences (ICD 10 or DSM IV)
Drug-specific impairment of mental functioning
Amfetamine-induced psychosis, ketamine intoxication
Drug-related impairment of mental functioning
Mood disorders secondary to drug-user’s lifestyle or drug use
Loss of tangibles
Extent of loss of tangible things (eg, income, housing, job, educational achievements, criminal record, imprisonment)
Loss of relationships
Extent of loss of relationship with family and friends
Injury
Extent to which the use of a drug increases the chance of injuries to others both directly and indirectly—eg, violence (including domestic violence), traffic accident, fetal harm, drug waste, secondary transmission of blood-borne viruses
Crime
Extent to which the use of a drug involves or leads to an increase in volume of acquisitive crime (beyond the use-of- drug act) directly or indirectly (at the population level, not the individual level)
Environmental damage
Extent to which the use and production of a drug causes environmental damage locally—eg, toxic waste from amfetamine factories, discarded needles
Family adversities
Extent to which the use of a drug causes family adversities— eg, family breakdown, economic wellbeing, emotional wellbeing, future prospects of children, child neglect
International damage
Extent to which the use of a drug in the UK contributes to damage internationally—eg, deforestation, destabilisation of countries, international crime, new markets
Economic cost
Extent to which the use of a drug causes direct costs to the country (eg, health care, police, prisons, social services, customs, insurance, crime) and indirect costs (eg, loss of productivity, absenteeism)
Community
Extent to which the use of a drug creates decline in social cohesion and decline in the reputation of the community
Results...
Individuals: Heroin, crack cocaine, and methamfetamine are the most harmful drugs ( 34, 37, 32)
Others: Alcohol, heroin, and crack cocaine were the most harmful drugs (46, 21, 17).
Both: Alcohol most harmful drug (72), followed by heroin (55), and crack cocaine (54).
Notable: Alcohol and Tobacco are both legally distributed and are both some of the most harmful drugs.
Drug-specific mortality
Intrinsic lethality of the drug expressed as ratio of lethal dose and standard dose (for adults)
Drug-related mortality
The extent to which life is shortened by the use of the drug (excludes drug-specific mortality)—eg, road traffic accidents, lung cancers, HIV, suicide
Drug-specific damage
Drug-specific damage to physical health—eg, cirrhosis, seizures, strokes, cardiomyopathy, stomach ulcers
Drug-related damage
Drug-related damage to physical health, including consequences of, for example, sexual unwanted activities and self-harm, blood-borne viruses, emphysema, and damage from cutting agents
Dependence
The extent to which a drug creates a propensity or urge to continue to use despite adverse consequences (ICD 10 or DSM IV)
Drug-specific impairment of mental functioning
Amfetamine-induced psychosis, ketamine intoxication
Drug-related impairment of mental functioning
Mood disorders secondary to drug-user’s lifestyle or drug use
Loss of tangibles
Extent of loss of tangible things (eg, income, housing, job, educational achievements, criminal record, imprisonment)
Loss of relationships
Extent of loss of relationship with family and friends
Injury
Extent to which the use of a drug increases the chance of injuries to others both directly and indirectly—eg, violence (including domestic violence), traffic accident, fetal harm, drug waste, secondary transmission of blood-borne viruses
Crime
Extent to which the use of a drug involves or leads to an increase in volume of acquisitive crime (beyond the use-of- drug act) directly or indirectly (at the population level, not the individual level)
Environmental damage
Extent to which the use and production of a drug causes environmental damage locally—eg, toxic waste from amfetamine factories, discarded needles
Family adversities
Extent to which the use of a drug causes family adversities— eg, family breakdown, economic wellbeing, emotional wellbeing, future prospects of children, child neglect
International damage
Extent to which the use of a drug in the UK contributes to damage internationally—eg, deforestation, destabilisation of countries, international crime, new markets
Economic cost
Extent to which the use of a drug causes direct costs to the country (eg, health care, police, prisons, social services, customs, insurance, crime) and indirect costs (eg, loss of productivity, absenteeism)
Community
Extent to which the use of a drug creates decline in social cohesion and decline in the reputation of the community
Results...
Individuals: Heroin, crack cocaine, and methamfetamine are the most harmful drugs ( 34, 37, 32)
Others: Alcohol, heroin, and crack cocaine were the most harmful drugs (46, 21, 17).
Both: Alcohol most harmful drug (72), followed by heroin (55), and crack cocaine (54).
Notable: Alcohol and Tobacco are both legally distributed and are both some of the most harmful drugs.
Nutt, David J., Leslie A. King, and Lawrence D. Phillips. "Drug Harms in the UK: A Multicriteria Decision Analysis." The Lancet 376.9752 (2010): 1558-565. Print.