Is Objective Risk All That Matters When It Comes to Drugs?

Abstract

Many more people die each year from alcohol and tobacco use than from illicit substance use, yet the American public appears far more concerned about illegal drugs. This paper suggests that some of this mismatch in concern may stem from differences in the types of deaths created, with deaths associated with illicit drugs being, on average, "scarier" to the public than are the deaths associated with legal substances. Hence, the mismatch between actual risks and public concern is not necessarily entirely wrong or irrational, but rather may embody stable preferences.