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  • BDD Moderators: Keif’ Richards | negrogesic

Least Harmful to Most Harmful Drugs

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May 10, 2009
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Dr. Dean Edell ranked drugs based on two criteria - effect on health and abuse potential. This is how he ranked them from least to most harmful:
-marijuana
-caffeine
-nicotine
-cocaine
-alcohol
-heroin

I'd be interested in other opinions.
 
^ heroin as the most harmful? bullshit.

and where is meth on that list?

i would say methamphetamine is number one based on abuse potential and the fact that it is pretty harmful physically and mentally. cocaine is number 2 i would say. then nicotine. then alcohol, then heroin, then caffeine, then marijuana.
 
ill let this fly, as i dont think its suited to here because its so subjective.

other mods do as you see fit.

heroin is benign to the body(besides the addiction partis, of course which is what the OP is getting at ), its the users hygeine and practices and health of the person using that help deteriorate their immune system and body which contributes to the end product .

meth, in my opinion is the one drug that has fucked me mentally ans physically more so than any of my addictions to benzos and opiates and every other drug i've used.

excuse me for not making much sense...
 
ill let this fly, as i dont think its suited to here because its so subjective.

other mods do as you see fit.
...

I like it ... good to see some interesting discussion

heroin as the most harmful? bullshit.

and where is meth on that list?

Meth wasn't really "on the scene" as it is now... same with MDMA. why dont you agree (re heroin as worst)?

It's all subjective, but I tend to agree with this ranking, except I think caffeine should change spots with marijuana ... ie.

caffeine
marijuana
nicotine
MDMA
LSD
cocaine
amphetamines
GHB
alcohol
heroin

heroin belongs as the worst b/c even though alcohol is worst in terms of health, the social ills related to heroin procurement (ie scoring, variable dosage, cuts, crime etc) make it the worst IMO. Alcohol would be right up there, which is saying something considering its totally legal

If ppl want to give their opinions plz provide reasons why to keep the discussion interesting
 
What makes you think of LSD as dangerous? 'tis my favorite. No withdrawls, addiction, overdose...

I have been an opiate user for ten years. I feel it to have no negative effects on my system aside from depression from withdrawls. My ROA is usually oral, and I try my best to counteract any stress on my system through healthy living.

Not to say that I don't dabble with lots of drugs, but I stay away from the harmful ones like stimulants, alcohol and tobacco. I cannot handle their highs.
 
He's right IMHO, LSD = no danger of either OD or addiction. This is in spite of LSD's mind-blowing effects and its bad press as a hippie's drug. Are massive hallucinations that go away after a few hours to be regarded as hasardous? Only from a scare-mongerer's standpoint. On the other hand IV coke is probably the most lethal of all drugs while snorted coke can be a sustainable social habit.

At least the OP's classification has the merit of putting alcohol where it belongs, ie high on the list. But since Society (law-makers) don't act on this such classifications are of little use. It is OK to kill yourself (and sometimes others) because you abuse alcohol. If you're caught with a joint you go to jail.
 
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It can be a bit stressful on the mind at times, but other than that I see no physical problems arising from LSD use.
 
I like it ... good to see some interesting discussion



Meth wasn't really "on the scene" as it is now... same with MDMA. why dont you agree (re heroin as worst)?

It's all subjective, but I tend to agree with this ranking, except I think caffeine should change spots with marijuana ... ie.

caffeine
marijuana
nicotine
MDMA
LSD
cocaine
amphetamines
GHB
alcohol
heroin

heroin belongs as the worst b/c even though alcohol is worst in terms of health, the social ills related to heroin procurement (ie scoring, variable dosage, cuts, crime etc) make it the worst IMO. Alcohol would be right up there, which is saying something considering its totally legal

If ppl want to give their opinions plz provide reasons why to keep the discussion interesting


why is heroin not the worst? yes it has major abuse potential but the fact that is is very benign on the body makes it less harmful overall compared to other drugs like, for example, methamphetamine and cocaine, which also have major abuse potential, AND are hard on the body and mind. and i also included the "social ills" in my determination of my list but heroin is not the only drug on that list that causes social ills relation to its procurement. meth, coke, and mdma all have the same type of problems in their procurement. they are all illegal, they all have variable cuts, and you have to worry about crime when trying to get them.

i believe cocaine and methamphetamine have just as much abuse potential as heroin and the difference is that meth and coke are much harder on the body. heroin isn't neurotoxic like coke and meth are for example. so why do you have heroin before coke and meth? they are similar but coke and meth have that added health part that makes them "more harmful" overall IMO.

i also agree that LSD should not be on that list, or at least close to the bottom. it is also very benign on the body. the only real problem with it, is with people possibly having really bad trips and it bringing out underlying mental disorders and such.

and the reason i would have alcohol below coke and meth is because they are all hard on the body but i believe that coke and meth have slightly higher abuse potentials than alcohol overall. i believe its quicker to get addicted to coke or meth than it would be for someone to become dependent on alcohol.
 
Heh nicotine needs to be much higher on that list. Adictive potential is almost as high as heroin and I have heard even higher. As far as ill effects on the body it is horrible.

I agree that LSD could be lower certainly below nicotine, and no marijuana and caffeine were correct the original way. Caffeine is very adictive where as marijuana is almost non-adictive.

marijuana
caffeine
MDMA
LSD
nicotine
cocaine
amphetamines
GHB
alcohol
heroin
 
If we are talking about responsible use, (since addiction is subjective):

[Least to most]

LSD
Cannabis
Opiates
Caffeine
Nicotine
MDMA
Cocaine
Alcohol
Methamphetamine
 
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Well, that is why I find LSD, Cannabis, and Opiates to be least harmful. All are used in professional medicine in some form. Even heroin is prescribed in certain countries.

It is wrong to label a drug because of some peoples' behavior.
 
isnt this subject/topic the same list that came out in britain a year and a half or so ago in order to shape thier drug policy off scientific facts? im pretty sure they measured harmful as harm to user, harm to society and addiction potential. i dont remember exactly how thier list went though but if i remember correctly i remember thinkin it seemed fairly accurate. the only thing was that meth was no where on the list, is meth an American drug? ( i know it started in Japan pre WWII, and is huge is SW asia under the name Yaba) but is home cooked meth just an american problem? i have even heard people on the east coast say that meth isnt even that big there yet but in the W US and MW US meth is far too common
 
Least to Most

1- Pot
2- Caffeine
3- Ambien/Some Sleeping Meds
4- Benzodiazepines
5- Nicotine
6- LSD
7- RC's (no research whatsoever...)
8- Amphetamines
9- Cocaine
10- MDMA, MDA
11- Methamphetamine, Desoxyn 'Abuse'
12- IM Steroids (Not everyone, those that are naive & ignorant to their endocrine system. Our bodies have limits.)
13- IV Heroin
14- IV Cocaine


I'm not going to get into why I feel this way, too subjective a thread for me to substantiate much else except rationilizations.
 
Meh BBC came up with a report in 2004 about this exactly, it listed 20 of the common abused substances in the UK (Some of it is inacurate thought.) If i find this thread somewhere on my computer's internet history, il link it up ASAP. As for now, my list would go a little bit like this:

(From Worst to Least Worst, most previous factors mentioned included.)

1. Scopolamine (O.K, Its a poison and its rarely abused but still.Allot of us have made that mistake.)
2. Methamphetamine
3. Heroin
4. PMA
5. Coca related products (Contradictive position)
6. Alcohol
7. Piperazines
8. GHB
-. DOXX Substances
-.Muscimol and other Uncommon Tryptamine Psychedellics (I was thinking about shrooms, mm)
9. Basic amphetamines (Adderall, Methylphenidate etc.)
10. Tobacco (Sorry guys, im not a smoker, everybody arround me in my family has been affected)
11.Oral/IM Steroids (Depends on term of abuse, but I guess that aplies to everything else.)
12. Pharmaceutical Opiates
13. Benzodiazepines
14. MDMA and other comon Phenethylamines, (Including the 2C's, I guess this can be contradictive also.)
15. Ketamine
16. Cannabis
17. Caffeine (Very contradictive, comon its one of the weakest psychostimulants.)
18. LSD and Psilocybe Containing vegetation
19. Common sedating Herbs and Products (Kava would be its own category, but il broaden it to other herbal remedies such as passion flower; Due to its MAOI composition.,)

Anyways im gonna end this list, my class is almost over if anybody wants to change it, please do. As i stated throughout, some positions are rather contradictive making the whole list contradictive.
 
I have a short attention span and dont really want to type up a whole grand production of a list, but my vote for most dangerous would have to be MPTP/MPP+, those weird demerol relatives that, when injected, cause rapid-onset Parkinson's symptoms.
 
I'm just going to list the most harmful, and least harmful in no particular order.

Harmful

1. Chloroform, carbogen and other inhalants - not nitrous or ether, but stuff like gasoline, jenkem, computer duster or glue. Most of them are carcinogenic or extremely toxic. You're depriving yourself of oxygen too, which adds even more to the brain cell casualties.

2. Unrefined fungus piss. Stuff that comes in plastic bottles or unfiltered homemade brews still with dead yeast on the bottom. Dark liquors like whiskey and tequila are the worst, because theirs more toxic acetylaldehyde being made (based on studies). Definitely snaps off a few dendrites.

3. Cheap processed tobacco. Those cheap cigarettes that are based on shredded tobacco waste and reconstituted tobacco sprayed with nicotine, and have like 4000 carcinogen, radioactive, or otherwise toxic chemicals added. Unfiltered ones especially.

4. MPTP - industrial toxin that used to be passed off as an analogue of meperidine (demerol) in the 80's. not really around anymore, but think it's worth a mention. It's the biggest reason the federal analogue act got passed. So it proved much more harmful to us druggies than just causing parkinsons.

5. PMA - This stuff is mostly passed of as ecstacy. Very dangerous stuff that usually leads to convulsions, coma, or death. Also dangerous increase in BP, temp (fever), and pulse. labored breathing, nausea/vomiting, muscle spasms, etc. and with little to no appreciable effects.

Safe. All in moderation of course, not done regularly.

1. N,N-DMT, 5-MeO-DMT, and generally speaking all tryptamine psychedelics.

2. GHB (medical grade).

3. High potency medical grade cannabis used orally or vaporized.

4. Nitrous oxide. Until a certain point, it's shown to be neuro-protective. If it's only done occasionally than vitamin B-12 depletion can be avoided, unless you want to supplement with it.

5. Nootropics like racetams, DMAE, gingko biloba

6. Body building drugs like HGH, DHEA, and some anabolic steroids.

7. Morphine

Theirs many others, but I'm not going to list all of them or explain why unless asked.
 
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Siick, we gotta form some sort of mega list if anybody wants to combine the information posted here, we have enough to for an official, or "unofficial" list. I know if it was around a few years back when i started it would have made my explanations to some other people about drugs, much easier.

[Im saying including the broad range of substances we've covered here, unfortunately this thread has not received TOO much attention yet :(]
 
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