The drugs that are far more deadly than cannabis

The drugs that kill the most people in England and Wales also happen to be legal, according to the latest data available.

This chart from Statista - taking inspiration from a similar chart by Vox in the US - shows tobacco, alcohol and prescription drugs were responsible for far more deaths than any illegal drugs.

Two caveats: the figures here show overall deaths and do not take into account the rate - i.e. number of deaths in proportion to the number of users of certain drugs. Equally the figures are not from the same year - all are from 2013 except alcohol which is from 2012.

Nevertheless, while the NHS is under increasing pressure from people dying of lung cancer, heart problems and liver disease, and so few deaths from cannabis, calls for its legalisation look set to continue.

You can see sources for the data on each drug by following the relevant link: tobacco, alcohol, prescription painkillers, heroin, cocaine, cannabis.

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