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Alcohol as bad as drugs say experts |
| "If someone was to invent alcohol today and we didn't have it, we would be very concerned about its dangers and would probably classify it as a class B drug," says Professor David Nutt, an international drug expert. | New Zealand's drug laws are under review and international experts are challenging the government to make changes based on fact not fear.
| Delegates at a top level conference gathering in New Zealand this week have criticised the country's laws saying they criminalise recreational users while making the most dangerous drug - alcohol - easily accessible to the young.
"In this research we found that alcohol...that's ethanol, has around about the same dangerousness to public health as ecstasy,"
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According to the UK governments own figures, cannabis is 'fantastically' safer than either alcohol or tobacco. So why is it illegal?
| | says Dr Doug Sellman, a drugs researcher. |
The forum says its irrational for the government to toughen up drug laws without considering New Zealand's biggest killers, which are cigarettes and liquor.
"If someone was to invent alcohol today and we didn't have it, we would be very concerned about its dangers and would probably classify it as a class B drug," says Professor David Nutt, an international drug expert.
Ex heroin junkie and now head of the Drugs Foundation says the booze peddlers have big bucks and power.
"Industry of that size always has hugely powerful lobbyists...there are people involved talking to government all the time," says Tim Harding, the New Zealand Drugs Foundation Chair.
Despite the warnings the government says alcohol will not be banned anytime soon
"Alcohol and tobacco have their own acts of parliament surrounding their use and availability," says Jim Anderton, the Associate Health Minister
But even the experts admit that drafting a drug policy is tough
"Every government struggles with how best to classify a drug...there's a lot of conflicting evidence," says Michel Peron, a Drug Policy campaigner.
More than a 1000 New Zealanders are killed every year from alcohol related illnesses.
The experts say the fact alcohol is still accessible and acceptable is sobering.
| | http://tvnz.co.nz | |
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