'Drugs Are Fine In Moderation'

Class A drugs are "safer than alcohol" and the risks and dangers involved in taking drugs are no more than "scaremongering", according to students.

Experts have raised concerns at the attitudes students are taking towards illegal substances, particularly the party drug MDMA. Many young people are deeming the Class A drug as posing little risk if "taken in moderation", according to a survey published on Tuesday, with one saying: "By and large experiencing the drugs alleviates much of the fear associated with the unknown."

Another added: "The only way you can have a true and valid opinion on any drug is to test it yourself. Whilst I have never believed that any of the drugs I have taken are harmful, after taking them I can now say that in my opinion they aren't harmful and are rather enjoyable when taken in good measure."

Despite half of students saying they worry about the potential risks of taking illegal drugs, nearly two thirds of students (61%) have taken them, while 53% of these have tried ecstasy, research by student newspaper the Concrete revealed.

The survey questioned 334 students at the University of East Anglia about their drinking habits and drug usage. Out of those, 200 had tried cannabis, 110 MDMA and 59 cocaine. Other drugs students had tried included ketamine, amphetamines, LSD and heroin.

Dr Kostas Agath, medical director for drugs treatment charity Addaction said it is wrong to think there is "such thing as a 'safe' substance".

"Even when we assume that a drug is pure, which it rarely is, users still run the risk of a whole list of problems - from depression to cardiac arrest."

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Agath said Addaction did not condone "scaremongering" about the dangers of drugs but wanted people to make informed choices.

"In our experience, even users who feel they know all about a certain drug often don't. There are so many new drugs appearing on the market - often existing substances whose chemical make up has been shifted this way or that - that it's all but impossible to keep track of what they 'do' or how they interact with other substances, such as alcohol.

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'Drugs Are Fine In Moderation'