'Alcohol 'causes more harm than crack''

Alcohol causes more widespread harm than drugs like heroin or crack cocaine, according to a study published in respected medical journal The Lancet. The research evaluates recreational drugs on a wide range of factors, weighing up the mental and physical damage users suffer alongside crime and costs to the community. It found the most dangerous drugs to individual users were heroin, crack cocaine and crystal meth - Sky​

Alcohol is a more dangerous drug than heroin or crack cocaine, a study claims. Scientists have found that alcohol is the most harmful drug overall and three times as harmful as cocaine and tobacco, according to a new scale of drug harm that rates the damage to both users and to wider society - Daily Mail​

The ConDems have come under renewed pressure to tackle cheap booze. The Government refuses to bring in minimum pricing to deal with the UK's drinking epidemic. Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, founder of the Alcohol Alliance Initiative, said ministers should not let industry leaders selfregulate alcohol prices. He said: "It is in the interests of the drinks industry to target the heavy drinkers, the people getting into trouble on Saturday nights." - The Mirror​

Magistrates in parts of Wales have new powers to ban people convicted of alcohol-related offences from pubs for up to two years. Drinking banning orders (DBOs) will be available in the local justice areas of Merthyr, Gwent and Denbighshire. The powers were introduced in areas including Cardiff in April and are being rolled out in 25 more UK areas from Monday - BBC​