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Nutt Dismissal in Britain Highlights Diverging Drug Views NEWS Testy debate: Looking ahead: 2009 in review: Biomarkers for Warwick Anderson We take a look prostate cancer discusses funding back at the past stir controversy in Australia year’s headlines 1339 1346 1348 Nutt dismissal in Britain highlights diverging drug views At a time when the US government has Jacqui Smith over a paper Nutt published in signaled a softer stance on medical marijuana, January on perceptions of risk that compared the dismissal of an independent drug advisor 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine in Britain has highlighted the UK’s hard-line (MDMA, or ‘ecstasy’) use to horse riding (J. stance on illegal substances. Psychopharmacol. 23, 3–5; 2009). David Nutt, until recently chair of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs Public dispute (ACMD), was fired by UK Home Secretary In a statement, Johnson claimed that Nutt’s Alan Johnson on 30 October. The sacking comments “damage efforts to give the public followed the issuing of a press release relating clear messages about the dangers of drugs.” to a lecture on drug risk and classification that Nutt, however, has hit back in a series of Nutt gave in July at King’s College London. interviews attacking the Labour government’s In his lecture, Nutt criticized the lack of approach to the issue of drugs. evidence for the current classification of drugs As Nature Medicine went to press, no less in the UK and claimed that this undermined than five members of the ACMD had resigned the credibility of the official message on drugs. in protest of Nutt’s dismissal. The Home He cited cannabis as a case in point: “[y]ou are Secretary has also taken flak from other 20 times more likely to get lung cancer if you leading scientists and scientific advisors, who smoke tobacco than if you don’t. That’s the produced a statement of Principles for the sort of scaling of harms that I want people Treatment of Independent Scientific Advice, to understand. There is a relatively small risk since then backed by the country’s current London College Imperial for smoking cannabis and psychotic illness science minister Lord Drayson. Speaking out: David Nutt compared with quite a substantial risk for In addition, a leaked email from Drayson smoking tobacco and lung cancer.” revealed he was “pretty appalled” by Cannabis had been downgraded from the sacking, which he regarded as “a big a class B drug to class C by the Labour mistake.” Drayson later confirmed the act cautiously and be mindful of the fact that © All rights reserved. 2009 Inc. Nature America, government in 2004; however, it was raised veracity of the email and said he was “now messages given by official advisers can and again to the more restrictive class B category focused on the future and making sure we will influence the behavior of the public.” in 2009, against the advice of the ACMD. have a reaffirmation of the importance of Nutt, who works at Imperial College independent scientific advice.” Shifting attitudes London and the University of Bristol, had Johnson and Nutt have both been asked to Both Labour members and the Conservatives previously clashed with Johnson’s predecessor present their version of events to the House have backed tough stances on drugs. In of Commons cross-party science an opinion piece after his sacking, Nutt committee. claimed the UK was “falling out of step with However, some members of the international trends” as a result (New Sci. committee notwithstanding, both 204, 5; 2009). main parties seem united over the One example of this, cited by Nutt, is correctness of sacking Nutt. that on 19 October the US Department Chris Grayling, the of Justice announced it would not seek to Conservative Party’s shadow pursue people using marijuana for medical home secretary, said after the reasons in states where such use is legal. This sacking that “Professor Nutt’s represents a notable reverse of the previous comments earlier this year, policy. comparing the risks of ecstasy More recently, the American Medical with those of horse riding, were Association reversed its previous stance particularly ill judged. The issues by calling for a review of marijuana’s AFP PHOTO/Jewel Samad PHOTO/Jewel AFP that the council deals with are classification as a Schedule I drug—the most highly sensitive, and there are restrictive category—in the US Controlled New perspective: Under Obama, the US has softened its very divergent opinions out there, Substances Act. stance on medical marijuana so there is a clear responsibility to Daniel Cressey, London NATURE MEDICINE VOLUME 15 | NUMBER 12 | DECEMBER 2009 1337.
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