The BBC reports:
The UK’s chief drugs adviser has been sacked by Home Secretary Alan Johnson, after criticising government policies.
Professor David Nutt, head of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, criticised the decision to reclassify cannabis to Class B from C.
He accused ministers of devaluing and distorting evidence and said drugs classification was being politicised.
…
Earlier this week Prof Nutt used a lecture at King’s College, London, to attack what he called the “artificial” separation of alcohol and tobacco from illegal drugs.
The professor said smoking cannabis created only a “relatively small risk” of psychotic illness.
Well, I can understand why he has been sacked. You can’t have government advisers openly calling ministers idiots.
Ideally, however, the Government shouldn’t be (a) hiring the top scientific advisers to help formulate a sensible drugs policy and then (b) completely ignoring their advice, in order to play to the Daily Mail.
Here’s Hugo Rifkind on drugs.