title: The harmful effects of drugs as perceived by the Spanish public.
abstract: A regional survey on peoples' attitudes towards drugs was conducted in the fall of 1992 on 2500 individuals aged 14-70 years. The great majority of those surveyed considered the taking of heroin (98%), cocaine (95.9%) and amphetamines (94.7%) to be "very risky" for one's health. These percentages were considerably lower in the case of tobacco (41.3%) and alcohol (26.7%). Those surveyed pointed to 'heroin' (35.6%), 'all illegal drugs' (27%), 'legal drugs' (17.2%) and 'cocaine' (14.2%) as the most dangerous drugs for society. The study shows how alcohol and tobacco are perceived by Spaniards as less dangerous than illegal drugs.
authors.affiliation: Drugs and Alcohol Research Group, Faculty of Medicine, University of Valladolid, Spain.
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Del Rio
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Alvarez
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects; D003042:Cocaine / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D003932:Heroin / Q000009:adverse effects; D006556:Heroin Dependence / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011639:Public Opinion; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects; D012940:Social Problems; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology
chemical_list: D013287:Illicit Drugs; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs; D003932:Heroin; D003042:Cocaine