Limey Scientists Angry After Sacking of Drug Advisor

(United Kingdom) Professor David Nutt of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs was fired from his position as a government drug adviser after making statements claiming that cannabis is less harmful than nicotine or alcohol.  He stated that cannabis had been upgraded to a Class B drug while ignoring contradictory scientific evidence, and it had been reclassified for political rather than pragmatic reasons.  In the wake of his dismissal other top scientists have resigned from their positions as government advisers.  So far at least two have resigned, leaving the ACMD without three of their top advisers.  Further resignations may follow which could leave the council unable to function, and worse it could result in   The move has been called an act of thuggery, and there are concerns that it could lead to resignations by scientists in other key advisory positions, resulting in a policy making crisis.

 Click here to read the whole story on the BBC's website.

Well I have to say an even like this would be nothing new or suprising as the government has made it very clear that when it comes to policy making they put very little stock into the opinions of scientists.  If this weren't the case, cannabis would not be a Schedule I substance as it has been demanded by doctors to be rescheduled to Schedule II for decades so that they may have access to the drug's medicinal value.

Rather than listen to what governments and doctors have to say, our policy makers have decided to play doctor, and generate a body of (questionable) evidence that justifies thier policy.  Should anyone question thier policy or supportive evidence, our government, particularly the DEA, simply ignores what they have to say, and in some cases go so far as to claim it isn't true.  If you haven't visited the DEA's page on medical marijuana, you should, its full of so much shit it smells bad.

I suppose that's all I have to say about that.