Alcohol and tobacco ‘more harmful than many illegal drugs’

ALCOHOL and tobacco are more harmful to individuals and to society than many illegal drugs, including cannabis and ecstasy, according to a new report.

The main findings of the study — published today in the Lancet medical journal — were endorsed yesterday by Ireland’s top Government drugs adviser.

Consulting two broad groups of experts, the authors ranked alcohol as the fifth most harmful drug and tobacco the ninth most harmful out of 20 legal and illegal substances.