Drug adviser sacked for comments
Proff Nutt criticised the reclassification of cannabisThe UK’s chief drugs adviser has been sacked by home secretary Alan Johnson after criticising government policies.
Professor David Nutt had been critical of the decision to reclassify cannabis to Class B from Class C.
He accused ministers of devaluing and distorting evidence and said the drugs classification system was being used in a “political way”.
The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, which he headed, is the UK’s official drugs advisory body.
Shorter BBC: Chief Drug Adviser sacked for telling the truth. And we don’t want the truth anywhere near our drugs policy, now do we?
Even shorter BBC: Chief Drug Adviser sacked for being better at his job than the home secretary was at hers.
If this is true then it is a slap in the face for anyone who thinks that policy should be based on evidence.
It seems experts are now expected to give the evidence they are asked for and to say “Thank you, sir. Can I have another?” when their evidence is ignored and they are rudely slapped down.
Filed under: Politics, Alan Johnson, Crime, Drugs, Economics, Justice
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