Drug harmfulness

In a 2011 survey, 292 clinical experts in Scotland ranked 19 common recreational drugs by personal and social harm.[1] Harder drugs are in red and softer drugs are in yellow.

Drug harmfulness is the degree to which a psychoactive drug is harmful to a user. Drug harmfulness is measured in various ways, such as by addictiveness and the potential for physical harm. More harmful drugs are called hard drugs[2] and less harmful drugs are called soft drugs.[3] The term "soft drug" is considered controversial by its critics as it may imply that soft drugs causes no or insignificant harm.[3]

Drug policy

The distinction between soft drugs and hard drugs is important in the drug policy of the Netherlands, where cannabis production, retailing and use come under official tolerance, subject to certain conditions. The Dutch Opium Law contains two lists of drugs, List I and List II, that are colloquially considered to be lists of hard and soft drugs, respectively. Other countries typically have more than two categories. For example, the US has five schedules in the Controlled Substances Act, ranging from one through five. The UK has three classes in the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971: A, B and C.

Hard and soft drugs

According to the legal system of the Netherlands, selected soft drugs are tolerated legally while other hard drugs are illegal.[4] Soft drugs can be tolerated in various ways whether it be total lack of regulation or some regulation but still legal availability to the public.

Gallery

See also

Sources

  1. ↑ Taylor, M.; Mackay, K.; Murphy, J.; McIntosh, A.; McIntosh, C.; Anderson, S.; Welch, K. (24 July 2012). "Quantifying the RR of harm to self and others from substance misuse: results from a survey of clinical experts across Scotland". BMJ Open 2 (4): e000774–e000774. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2011-000774. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
  2. ↑ Thomas Nordegren (2002). The A-Z Encyclopedia of Alcohol and Drug Abuse. Parkland, Fla.: Brown Walker Press. p. 327. ISBN 1-58112-404-X.
  3. 1 2 Thomas Nordegren (2002). The A-Z Encyclopedia of Alcohol and Drug Abuse. Parkland, Fla.: Brown Walker Press. p. 597. ISBN 1-58112-404-X.
  4. ↑ https://www.government.nl/topics/drugs/contents/how-does-the-law-distinguish-between-soft-and-hard-drugs
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, April 01, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.