BMJ  2006;333:275 (5 August), doi:10.1136/bmj.333.7562.275

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Tobacco and alcohol should be classed as dangerous drugs

London

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Tobacco and alcohol should be rated as potentially more harmful drugs than illegal substances such as ecstasy and lysergide (LSD), says an influential report from MPs.

The public should recognise the relative dangers of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco Credit: MARTIN PARR/MAGNUM PHOTOS

 

The parliamentary science and technology committee wants a major overhaul in the United Kingdom's ABC classification system for categorising drugs.

The committee, which published its report into the classification of drugs last week, said that the current classification system was not useful because it lacks consistency in the way some drugs are classified.

MPs argue that there should be a "decoupling of the penalties and the harm ranking of drugs" because the classification system is seen by police as being of minor importance, so it is not making criminal penalties proportional to the harm that drugs do.

Alcohol and tobacco should be included in a more scientific approach . . . [Full text of this article]

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