A new study published by the Lancet on November 1st ranks 20 drugs (legal and illegal) on 16 measures of harm to the user and to wider society, such as damage to health, drug dependency, economic costs and crime.
The Economist presents a useful graphic of the results. Interestingly alcohol is at the top. Maybe all drugs should be legal for purchase by adults – it would save a lot of resources wasted on prohibition. It would also be interesting to see where some other foods come in, like sugar which has measurably increased obesity and caffeine which is now a go to accompaniment to alcohol in younger adults.
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