A new UK study suggests that the current UK drug classification system of A, B, and C of the Misuse of Drugs Act is flawed and should be replaced by an evidence-based system of potential harm that would place alcohol and tobacco higher than cannabis and ecstasy.
The study is published in The Lancet.
Professor David Nutt from the University of Bristol, Professor Colin Blakemore, Chief Executive of the Medical Research Council, and two colleagues developed a new drug ranking system that would class socially acceptable tobacco and alcohol as more harmful than cannabis, and considerably more dangerous than Class A drugs such as ecstasy and LSD.
They say the current classification system used in the UK is flawed and should be scrapped.
Their proposed system of classification asesses harm in an "evidence-based fashion". They use three main factors to determine the potential harm that a substance causes:
(1) Physical harm to the user, (2) Tendency to induce dependence in the user, and (3) The effect of its use on families, communities and society in general.
Latest news and research on smoking and related issues.
Smoking and depression-
The association between depression and smoking is well established. A lifetime history of major depression is more than twice as common in people who smoke compared to people who do not smoke. A history of major depressive disorder is associated with a decreased ability to quit smoking and an increased likelihood of smoking relapse. Increased relapse rates of major depression after smoking cessation also have been described. In subjects with a history of major depression, smoking may be an attempt to decrease negative affect, and following a quit attempt, they are likely to experience greater symptoms of nicotine withdrawal compared to smokers without a history of depression. Therefore, in patients who are attempting to quit smoking, inquiring about present or past symptoms of depression and anxiety is advisable, and specific therapy may be indicated.
Smokers take nearly 8 extra days sick leave each year-
Smokers take an average of almost eight days more of sick leave every year than their non-smoking colleagues suggested research published in Tobacco Control. The research team analysed nationally representative registry data on sickness absence among more than 14,000 workers in Sweden between 1988 and 1991.
Home
