Ecstasy, LSD and cannabis are less dangerous than alcohol and cigarettes, the Government’s chief drug adviser claims today.

Professor David Nutt is calling for a new ‘index of harm’ to warn the public about the relative dangers of various substances.
He says alcohol should rank fifth, behind only cocaine, heroin, barbiturates and methadone, while tobacco should rank ninth, ahead of cannabis, LSD and Ecstasy.

His comments are likely to prove explosive, given the seniority of his position. Professor Nutt has also courted controversy in the past – by suggesting taking ecstasy was no more dangerous than riding a horse.

But, defending his position, Professor Nutt says: ‘I think we have to accept young people like to experiment – with drugs and other potentially harmful activities – and what we should be doing in all of this is to protect them from harm at this stage of their lives.
‘We therefore have to provide more accurate and credible information. If you think that scaring kids will stop them using, you’re probably wrong.’

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