Alcohol perceived less risky than illegal drugs, Observer poll reveals

The Observer's drugs poll has revealed that alcohol is still perceived as far less risky to health than illegal drugs, with a clear 47% majority of respondents ranking it as having the 'least level of risk'. Tobacco, the number one cause of preventable death in the UK (alcohol is the 3rd), was ranked as the second least harmful, demonstrating the strong role legality has on the perception of drug harms. The findings come despite a high publicity Lancet report earlier in the year which ranked alcohol as the 5th most dangerous drug, ahead of ecstasy and tobacco but behind heroin at number 1. The Lancet rankings were intended to inform potential reclassification of illegal drugs, though received an interesting critique from Transform Drugs Policy Foundation.

The full Observer feature 'Drugs uncovered' can be found here.