BBC Horizon-The real truth a alcohol drugs Professor David Nutt was forced to resign from his role as chairman of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. Research by Nutt and his colleagues, published in the medical journal the Lancet in 2007, rates the following as the most dangerous drugs. (They are listed in descending order from the most harmful and all figures are for England and Wales in 2008 unless stated otherwise.) 1 Heroin Class A drug. Originally used as a painkiller and derived from the opium poppy. There were 897 deaths recorded from heroin and morphine use in 2008 in England and Wales, according to the Office of National Statistics (ONS). There were around 13000 seizures, amounting to 1.6m tonnes of heroin. 2. Cocaine Class A. Stimulant produced from the South American coca leaf. Accounted for 235 deaths — a sharp rise on the previous year’s fatalities. Nearly 25000 seizures were made, amounting to 2.9 tonnes of the drug. 3. Barbituates Class B. Synthetic sedatives used for anaesthetic purposes. Blamed for 13 deaths. 4. Street methadone Class A. A synthetic opioid, commonly used as a substitute for treating heroin patients. Accounted for 378 deaths and there were more than 1000 seizures of the drug. 5. Alcohol Subject to increasing concern from the medical profession about its damage to health. According to the ONS, there were 8724 alcohol deaths in the UK in 2007. Other sources claim the true figure is far higher. 6. Ketamine Class C. A hallucinogenic …