Scale Harms to Understand Risks

Different drugs pose varied harms, affecting users and society in distinct ways. This analysis categorizes nine user-related harms such as death, dependence, and withdrawal, alongside seven societal harms like community disruption and environmental impact. A sophisticated approach known as Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) allows for the scaling and comparison of these harms across different metrics, revealing that while some drugs may be individually more harmful, alcohol emerges as the most harmful overall due to its extensive use and associated societal risks. This conclusion, initially published in The Lancet in 2010, has since been validated by experts in various countries.