A FRENCH government study has heaped fuel on the debate over the safety of
cannabis by listing it as the least dangerous of all potentially addictive
drugs. It also concludes that alcohol is among the most dangerous.
The study, commissioned by French health minister Bernard Kouchner, was
carried out by a panel of 10 French and foreign scientists headed by
Bernard-Pierre Roques of the Ren茅 Descartes University of Paris. The
panel searched the scientific literature for information about psychological and
physical dependence, neural and general toxicity and social hazards such as
aggressive behaviour caused by various legal and illegal drugs. The team then
grouped the substances into three categories of dangerousness.
Cannabis was the only drug put in the least dangerous category. While
cautioning that no drug they assessed was 鈥渃ompletely free of danger鈥�, the
researchers gave cannabis a rating of 鈥渨eak鈥� for social hazard and
addictiveness, 鈥渧ery weak鈥� for general toxicity and zero for neurotoxicity.
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In the most dangerous category, they included heroin and other opiates, and
cocaine. Alcohol was also placed in this category because of its strong
toxicity, its potential as a social hazard and its 鈥渧ery strong鈥� addictiveness.
In the middle category they placed stimulants such as amphetamines,
hallucinogens and tobacco鈥攍argely because of its 鈥渧ery strong鈥�
addictiveness and toxicity.
The authors point out that governments base their decisions whether or not to
criminalise a drug on its ability to induce dependence. They conclude that the
official classification for some drugs is incorrect.