rufus thomas
Member
Some Interesting facts coming out of the UK drugs crisis..........
Last week, the government has sacked its most senior drugs advisor, Dr Professor Nutt, after he claimed cannabis was no more harmful than alcohol. And that horse-riding was riskier than taking ecstasy.
(Technically he's right. The lifetime odds of dying from ecstasy overdose is 1 in 17,803. The risk of dying from horse-riding is around double - 1 in 7,833.)
Taking the science behind his statement and mashing it up with press coverage of drug risks creates an interesting picture.
Drug-related deaths versus media coverage
The government's own data backs up Nutt's assertions. Cannabis seems pretty risk-free, mortality-wise, and its dangers are over-reported in the popular media. Meanwhile, fatalities from legal drugs like paracetamol and anti-depressants are higher than most illicit drugs combined. And those fatalities mostly go unreported.
But this the whole picture? Using raw mortality figures is a bit coarse. Obviously, far more people take paracetamol and alcohol than ecstasy and cannabis. So logically you would expect more deaths for paracetamol and alcohol.
To give more accurate picture of risk, drug deaths should really be taken as a proportion of users.
If you factor in estimated users, a different picture emerges.
Drug deaths measured Photograph: guardian.co.uk
The danger of cocaine and solvent use becomes clear. Cannabis, however, still remains relatively risk free. And paracetamol extremely safe.
Interestingly, the data reveals that anti-depressants, especially those from the SSRI (Prozac-like) family, have the same fatality rates as ecstasy. Feeling happy obviously has its price...
Here is the spreadsheet of data for you to explore.
Important notes on the data
The cannabis death's figure is a bit dubious in my opinion. Firstly, how can you die from cannabis? It's extremely non-toxic. There has never been a single documented case of fatal cannabis overdose. Also, the government's own figures don't tally. While drug figures from the Office Of National Statistics register 19 cannabis related deaths, the mortality stats from the same office log only 1 death.
The press reports figures are a bit coarse, but consistent. I used the 'drug name' + death as a search via Google News timeline. Here's an example.
Check out the spreadsheet of data to see the rest
Paracetamol deaths may be squewed a bit by the fact that's it a very common method of suicide.
Number of users per drug are estimated, ballpark figures. You can see my sources and workings-out on the spreadsheet.
Last week, the government has sacked its most senior drugs advisor, Dr Professor Nutt, after he claimed cannabis was no more harmful than alcohol. And that horse-riding was riskier than taking ecstasy.
(Technically he's right. The lifetime odds of dying from ecstasy overdose is 1 in 17,803. The risk of dying from horse-riding is around double - 1 in 7,833.)
Taking the science behind his statement and mashing it up with press coverage of drug risks creates an interesting picture.
The government's own data backs up Nutt's assertions. Cannabis seems pretty risk-free, mortality-wise, and its dangers are over-reported in the popular media. Meanwhile, fatalities from legal drugs like paracetamol and anti-depressants are higher than most illicit drugs combined. And those fatalities mostly go unreported.
But this the whole picture? Using raw mortality figures is a bit coarse. Obviously, far more people take paracetamol and alcohol than ecstasy and cannabis. So logically you would expect more deaths for paracetamol and alcohol.
To give more accurate picture of risk, drug deaths should really be taken as a proportion of users.
If you factor in estimated users, a different picture emerges.
The danger of cocaine and solvent use becomes clear. Cannabis, however, still remains relatively risk free. And paracetamol extremely safe.
Interestingly, the data reveals that anti-depressants, especially those from the SSRI (Prozac-like) family, have the same fatality rates as ecstasy. Feeling happy obviously has its price...
Here is the spreadsheet of data for you to explore.
Important notes on the data
The cannabis death's figure is a bit dubious in my opinion. Firstly, how can you die from cannabis? It's extremely non-toxic. There has never been a single documented case of fatal cannabis overdose. Also, the government's own figures don't tally. While drug figures from the Office Of National Statistics register 19 cannabis related deaths, the mortality stats from the same office log only 1 death.
The press reports figures are a bit coarse, but consistent. I used the 'drug name' + death as a search via Google News timeline. Here's an example.
Check out the spreadsheet of data to see the rest
Paracetamol deaths may be squewed a bit by the fact that's it a very common method of suicide.
Number of users per drug are estimated, ballpark figures. You can see my sources and workings-out on the spreadsheet.