Professor David Nutt. I can’t take him seriously. Whenever I hear his name, I think of my dear friend David Wright, affectionately nicknamed ‘Cashew’, and giggle. I imagine Cashew’s face on a giant nut lecturing the government on drugs policy. Ironically, he does share some of Professor Nutt’s controversial opinions.
With the news that Cashew has finally lost his mind and decided to walk over hot coals, came equally disturbing news from Professor Nutt – that alcohol is more harmful than heroin. I’m no drugs expert and annoyingly he is. But this latest study struck me as irresponsible and mildly ridiculous…as well as making me bloody curious about mushrooms.
The study ranks 20 drugs on 16 measures of harm to users and to wider society. Alcohol came out well on top and was followed by heroin, with crack a close third. The BBC article contains the full table.
In the simplest of terms, the study makes sense. I could visit any town centre on a Friday night and witness first hand the damage alcohol is doing to individuals and wider society. In fact, this wouldn’t even be necessary. I could wander down memory lane, recalling any number of Newcastle student nights out. The mass-brawl in Florita’s; the Tubboys (plus Yaz) fight outside Flynn’s; the £80 fixed penalty notices for urinating in Time Square; the pranks on neighbours that weren’t so funny in the morning.
It was magic while it lasted and I hope we never took it too far.
But Britain’s binge drinking culture is regrettable and is costing the government billions of pounds every year. Nutt’s study reflects this but I can’t help feeling that it is misleading; it seems bizarre to directly compare alcohol with a drug like heroin. The study doesn’t take into account that binge drinkers and alcoholics remain in the minority. The majority of people enjoy alcohol responsibly and as a result, it enriches their lives.
Granny has a large whiskey or two every evening. I hope to enjoy Spurs humbling Inter Milan tomorrow evening with a few pints. We are two of millions of people in the UK who, for the most part, drink in moderation. There are no figures available, but I would imagine that only a very small minority of heroin users enjoy it responsibly. In fact, due to its highly addictive nature, cost and side effects, outlined helpfully by Frank, it may well be that no-one can really enjoy it safely and responsibly. Nutt’s study has forced two drugs that so plainly occupy different positions on the spectrum into direct comparison.
On BBC breakfast news this morning, Nutt attempted to argue with a caller who said that her grandmother had enjoyed two glasses of wine every evening since she was 18 and was now in good health aged 90. ‘Could heroin be enjoyed in such a responsible manner?’, the presenter asked. A silly question but Nutt appeared to suggest that it could, indicating that much of the damage caused by heroin came from impurities added on the street.
He should have dismissed the question but to ridicule it was to ridicule his study. The study helpfully highlighted the enormous damage caused by alcohol but surely even Nutt doesn’t believe that people should scrap their evening tipple and cook up? It is misleading to throw alcohol and heroin in direct comparison just because they are both drugs. Yes, they both cause harm but in different contexts. Their places in society are entirely different and will always remain so, regardless of whether drugs are eventually legalised, as in Portugal.
If Nutt wants tighter regulations on the sale of cheap alcohol – a point he stressed this morning – then he should use his profile to campaign for it. He would gain a considerable amount of support across the board, not least from the government.
When the Labour government sacked Nutt for his comments last year, I was on his side. It seemed pointless to employ someone to give expert advice, only to sack him when you didn’t like the sound of what he said. But Nutt has continued to court controversy and seems to enjoy his name in lights. Alan Johnson’s decision to distance him from government now looks like a wise one.
His claim that horse riding is more dangerous than ecstasy was thought provoking. Why, indeed, does society tolerate one type of harmful behaviour over another? But his latest study is more dangerous than enlightening. We know Britain has a binge drinking problem. It is also becoming apparent that Britain has a drug problem. A recent Channel 4 documentary called Our Drugs War highlighted the amount of drug related crime. But they should be treated separately.
Nutt’s study has succeeded in gaining himself publicity and once again highlighted Britain’s drinking problem. But aided by a too accepting media, he has created worrying headlines: “Alcohol more harmful than heroin”. In some respects it is but this type of headline won’t stop people abusing alcohol. Education and litigation has to come from above, and the latest news suggests the government is willing to try new initiatives.
In the meantime, if Nutt succeeds in turning just one misguided young person from binge drinking to heroin then he has surely failed Britain.
Living with Granny 
I was wasting time on Facebook using the excuse that 50 minutes just isn’t long enough to get into any reading, when your blog caught my attention. A really interesting read and in some parts quite amusing (Cashew nut head). I think i’ve found my new Thursday afternoon time-killer!