Sacked drugs adviser hits back at Brown
Sacked drugs adviser criticises Brown
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By James Christie
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Saturday, 31, Oct 2009 11:56
The UK chief drugs adviser sacked for his comments on cannabis has claimed Gordon Brown reclassified the drug for political reasons.
Professor David Nutt was forced to quit yesterday from the Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) by the home secretary Alan Johnson after claiming cannabis should have remained a Class C drug.
He also said alcohol and tobacco cause more harm than cannabis, ecstasy and LSD.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Professor Nutt said the government had ignored advice on cannabis.
"Until Gordon Brown took office there has never been a recommendation about drug classification from the council that has been rejected by government," he said.
"Gordon Brown comes into office and soon after that he starts saying absurd things like cannabis is lethal... it has to be a Class B drug. He has made his mind up.
"We went back, we looked at the evidence, we said, 'No, no, there is no extra evidence of harm, it's still a Class C drug.'
"He said, 'Tough, it's going to be Class B.'"
He told the BBC that his sacking was a "bleak day for science," adding the government may struggle to recruit other scientists to the role.