An Australian drug expert has backed the inclusion of alcohol in a new ranking of the world’s most dangerous substances, designed to tackle addiction problems. A new analysis in leading medical journal The Lancet calls for new British classification of drugs to reflect the physical and social harm they wreak. The chart – a compilation of expert opinion – places heroin as clearly the most dangerous, followed by cocaine, barbiturates and methadone. Two legal drugs, alcohol and tobacco, were included for the first time, ranked number five and nine respectively among the 20 most dangerous substances. Amphetamines took eighth place, cannabis ranked eleventh and ecstasy was further down the list at number 18. Population health specialist professor Wayne Hall, from the University of Queensland, welcomed the rankings, saying it puts the dangers of various drugs in perspective. The biggest revelation was the extent of dangers posed by alcohol and tobacco, Prof Hall wrote in the same journal. ‘This shows that we should certainly be putting a lot more time and money into alerting the community to the harms that they cause, especially alcohol,’ he said. The analysis also proved that cannabis was […]