Tobacco & Alcohol to be Class A drugs in UK?

The UK is trying to do something that makes perfect sense, which probably means it will be shot down immediately. Classifying drugs according to their relative addictiveness and actual harm to society... it seems rather obvious, but I'm sure the alcohol industry isn't going to like being listed as more harmful than such faves as Amphetamines, Tobacco, Pot, LSD, GHB, and Ecstasy.

clipped from observer.guardian.co.uk

The study of 20 drugs - both legal and illegal - weighed up their physical harm, their relative addictiveness and the impact they have on wider society, to produce a new 'rational' league table.

Blakemore suggests current drugs laws are outdated. 'The system has evolved in an unsystematic way from somewhat arbitrary foundations with seemingly little scientific basis. We suggest a new system for evaluating the risks of individual drugs that is based as far as possible on facts and scientific knowledge. It could form the basis of a new classification scheme for the Misuse of Drugs Act.'

The Drugs league table

Drugs assessed in order of danger

1 Heroin

2 Cocaine

3 Barbiturates

4 Street methadone

5 Alcohol

6 Ketamine

7 Benzodiazepine

8 Amphetamines

9 Tobacco