Experienced Drug Users Assess the Relative Harms and Benefits of Drugs: A Web-Based Survey
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs – September 01, 2013
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
Experienced drug users consider alcohol and tobacco more harmful than many illicit substances. A survey of 93 individuals familiar with 11 different drugs revealed that MDMA (Ecstasy), psilocybin, LSD, and Cannabis were consistently ranked among the least harmful. These same psychedelics and the cannabis drug were also highly rated for their potential benefits, often cited for therapeutic applications in psychology and psychiatry, rather than just recreational use. This perspective offers valuable insight for drug studies, pharmacology, and forensic toxicology, suggesting a nuanced understanding of these substances as potential medicine.
Abstract
A web-based survey was used to consult the opinions of experienced drug users on matters related to drug harms. We identified a rare sample of 93 drug users with personal experience with 11 different illicit drugs that are widely used in the UK. Asked to assess the relative harms of these drugs, they ranked alcohol and tobacco as the most harmful, and three "Class A" drugs (MDMA, LSD, and psilocybin) and one class B (cannabis) were ranked as the four least harmful drugs. When asked to assess the relative potential for benefit of the 11 drugs, MDMA, LSD, psilocybin, and cannabis were ranked in the top four; and when asked why these drugs are beneficial, rather than simply report hedonic properties, they referred to potential therapeutic applications (e.g., as tools to assist psychotherapy). These results provide a useful insight into the opinions of experienced drug users on a subject about which they have a rare and intimate knowledge.