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UK: Government drug adviser sacked

Jean Eaglesham

Financial Times

Saturday 31 Oct 2009

Britain's chief drugs adviser was sacked last night after criticising government conduct.

Alan Johnson, the home secretary, asked David Nutt to resign as chairman of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. The move followed Prof Nutt's outspoken criticism of the government's decision last year to reclassify cannabis from a "class C" drug to the more serious class B.

He had accused ministers of politicising drugs classification and distorting and devaluing scientific evidence. This week, he attacked the "artificial" separation of alcohol and tobacco from illegal drugs, and said the "intellectual argument" favoured downgrading ecstasy from class A to class B.

Mr Johnson's letter to Prof Nutt expressed "disappointment" at his comments, saying they damaged efforts to give the public clear messages about the dangers of drugs.

The Home Office said the "clear role" of the chairman was to "provide independent scientific advice and not to lobby for changes in policy".

Prof Nutt said: "If scientists are not allowed to engage in the debate at this interface, then you devalue their contribution to policymaking and undermine a major source of carefully considered and evidence-based advice." Jean Eaglesham

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9588cd60-c5bd-11de-9b3b-00144feab49a.html

 

 

 

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