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Updated: Jul 4, 2026

Chronic Intermittent Ethanol Vapor Exposure Paired with Two-Bottle Choice to Model Alcohol Use Disorder
Published on: June 23, 2023
Should ethanol be scheduled as a drug of high risk to public health?
J D Sellman1, G M Robinson, R Beasley
1National Addiction Centre, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand. doug.sellman@otago.ac.nz
Abstract:
Six criteria described in the New Zealand Misuse of Drugs Act and used by the Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs (EACD) for determining the risk of a drug to public health were examined in relation to ethanol, using gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) as a comparator drug. GHB is an ideal candidate for use as a comparator because it is a sedative substance very similar to ethanol and has been previously investigated by the EACD using these six criteria. GHB was subsequently classified as a Class B1 drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act, that is, as a prohibited drug of high risk to public health. The dangerousness level of ethanol was found to be at least similar to that of GHB in this analysis. This highlights a major discrepancy in public policy.
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