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DRCNet Library | Schaffer Library | Miscellaneous Statements on Drug Policy
In Health, Nov/Dec 1990
"To rank today's commonly used drugs by their addictiveness, we asked experts to consider two questions: How easy is it to get hooked on these substances and how hard is it to stop using them? Although a person's vulnerability to drug also depends on individual traits -- physiology, psychology, and social and economic pressures -- these rankings reflect only the addictive potential inherent in the drug. The numbers below are relative rankings, based on the experts' scores for each substance:
100 Nicotine 99 Ice, Glass (Methamphetamine smoked) 98 Crack 93 Crystal Meth (Methamphetamine injected) 85 Valium (Diazepam) 83 Quaalude (Methaqualone) 82 Seconal (Secobarbital) 81 Alcohol 80 Heroin 78 Crank (Amphetamine taken nasally) 72 Cocaine 68 Caffeine 57 PCP (Phencyclidine) 21 Marijuana 20 Ecstasy (MDMA) 18 Psilocybin Mushrooms 18 LSD 18 Mescaline
Research by John Hastings
Relative rankings are definite, numbers given are (+/-)1%