Chemistry:Equasy
Equasy (sometimes written equacy[1]) is a term invented by Professor David Nutt in 2008 to describe the syndrom of addiction to equitation, or "equine addiction syndrome". The word derives from equestrianism (the classical word for horseback riding derived from Latin equester, equestr-, equus, 'horseman', 'horse').[2] Equasy has become a concept popularly used when discussing drug harmfulness and drug policies.[3][4][5][6][7]
Equasy was used as a fictional drug in a didactical and pedagogical way to explaining the differences of criteria taken into account for the classification of psychoactive substances for matters of policy control,[8] as 100 facilities of horse-related deaths were reported, against 30 deaths linked to ecstasy. Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Nutt said that the point was "to get people to understand that drug harm can be equal to harms in other parts of life".
In February 2009, Nutt was criticised by the Home Secretary Jacqui Smith for stating in the paper that the drug ecstasy (MDMA) was statistically no more dangerous than an addiction to horse-riding.[9] Following the release of the article in the Journal of Psychopharmacology Nutt was dismissed from his position of chairperson at the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs by Home Secretary Alan Johnson.[10]
In June 2012, Nutt had the opportunity to explain in front of the UK Home Affairs Committee that "it was not an arbitrary choice of horse-riding as a comparator, it came from a patient I had seen who had suffered irreversible brain damage from falling off her horse, and she came to me for treatment [...] it got me thinking, How dangerous is horse-riding? I discovered, remarkably, that it was considerably more dangerous than I had thought. Then I thought that it was an interesting comparison because it is something that people do-young people do-and it is popular but dangerous. It is probably addictive as well; many riders find it difficult not to ride. I thought it would be an interesting experiment to compare this pseudo-drug, equasy (equine addiction syndrome), which a lot of people think is a drug now."[11]
See also
- Criticism of drug prohibition laws
- David Nutt
- DrugScience
- Ecstasy (drug)
- Drug classification
References
- ↑ Dashper, K. (2016). Human-Animal Relationships in Equestrian Sport and Leisure. Routledge. doi:10.4324/9781315678139-9. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781315678139/chapters/10.4324/9781315678139-9.
- ↑ "equestrian – definition of equestrian by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia". Thefreedictionary.com. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/equestrian. Retrieved 2013-07-01.
- ↑ Chu, B. (2015). "Why does someone dying from alcohol poisoning get no media coverage, while an ecstasy-related death does?". The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/why-does-someone-dying-from-alcohol-poisoning-get-no-media-coverage-while-an-ecstasy-related-death-a6726541.html.
- ↑ Ellenberg, J. (2014). "Book Review: 'The Norm Chronicles' by Michael Blastland and David Spiegelhalter". The Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/book-review-the-norm-chronicles-by-michael-blastland-and-david-spiegelhalter-1401751847.
- ↑ Baggini, J. (2014). "Sind Drogengesetze moralisch inkonsistent?". Die Großen Fragen Ethik: 56–64. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-36371-9_6. ISBN 978-3-642-36370-2.
- ↑ Watts, M.; Jolliffe, G. (2017). Sanaciónpsicodélica para el siglo XXI. ISBN 9781912317042. https://books.google.com/?id=zOMyDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT13#v=onepage.
- ↑ Gøtzsche, P.C. (2015). Deadly Psychiatry and Organised Denial. ISBN 9788771596243. https://books.google.com/?id=K99wCgAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage.
- ↑ Nutt, D. (2008). "Equasy – an overlooked addiction with implications for the current debate on drug harms". Journal of Psychopharmacology 23 (1): 3–5. doi:10.1177/0269881108099672. PMID 19158127.
- ↑ Hope, C. (9 Feb 2009). "Home Office's drugs adviser apologises for saying ecstasy is no more dangerous than riding a horse". The Daily Telegraph. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/4570522/Home-Offices-drugs-adviser-apologises-for-saying-ecstasy-is-no-more-dangerous-than-riding-a-horse.html.
- ↑ Johnson, Alan (2 November 2009). "Why Professor David Nutt was shown the door". The Guardian (London). https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2009/nov/02/drug-policy-alan-johnson-nutt. Retrieved 24 December 2019.
- ↑ "HOUSE OF COMMONS: ORAL EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE THE HOME AFFAIRS COMMITTEE - Drugs: Breaking the Cycle - Minutes of Evidence (HC 184-II)". publications.parliament.uk/. https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmselect/cmhaff/184/120619.htm. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
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