Scientists revolt as drugs row deepens
The Home Office was thrown into chaos today as ministers reacted to resignations from the advisory council on drugs by launching a review into the group.
Professor David Nutt, the former chairman of the advisory council on the misuse of drugs (ACMD) who was sacked by home secretary Alan Johnson late on Friday, said the government “may lose the rest of its scientific advisers” in an article for the Times.
Earlier predictions had already proved correct. Dr Les King, another member of the ACMD, and Marion Walker, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s representative on the ACMD, resigned in protest at his dismissal over the weekend.
It then emerged this afternoon that Mr Johnson has ordered a review of the ACMD, to ensure its terms of reference “satisfy ministers”.
The review raises the prospect that the council will be firmly defanged after repeatedly speaking out against government drugs policy.
It will assess whether the council represents value for taxpayers, and will report back to the Home Office next year.
The review was ordered on October 13, before the most recent hostilities, but news of its existence did not emerge until today, hours after the resignation of two members of the Council in protest at the sacking of Professor Nutt.
Both Conservatives and Liberal Democrats have posted parliamentary questions about the future of the ACMD, which will be replied to in the Commons at 15:30 GMT.
Meanwhile, Mr Johnson launched a defence of his own decision to fire Prof Nutt, both in a letter to the Guardian and in response to an urgent parliamentary question from the Conservatives.
“Professor Nutt was not sacked for his views, which I respect but disagree with,” he wrote to the Guardian.
“He was asked to go because he cannot be both a government adviser and a campaigner against government policy.”
He expressed similar sentiments in the Commons today, where he recieved support from the Conservatives.
“I have lost confidence in Professor Nutt’s abilty to be my principle advisor on drugs,” he told MPs. “His dismissal is not a reflection on the work of the committee.”
Prof Nutt was critical of the classification of cannabis as a class B substance. He said those who thought “scaring kids” would stop them using drugs were “probably wrong” and claimed taking ecstasy was less dangerous than riding a horse.
Today Downing Street made clear Gordon Brown backed Mr Johnson’s decision. “The home secretary has been very focused on making sure there are no inconsistent messages coming out,” the prime minister’s spokesman said.
He argued a “matter of principle” had to be defended but could not explain why government advisers could not repeat their views once ministers had decided on their policy.
Prof Nutt’s dismissal threatens the emergence of a wider frustration among the scientific community about the government’s reluctance to listen to its advice.
In the short-term, the major threat appears to be the demise of the ACMD. Prof Nutt warned scientists “who can only speak the truth” appeared “unlikely” to be able to work for “this, or future, home secretaries”.
No 10 said: “The government is extremely supportive of the work not only of this advisory committee but of all advisory committees. It would be regrettable if there were to be more resignations, but this is a point of principle.”
Prof Nutt believes the current arrangement is now unsustainable, however. He added: “Others have suggested a way forward: create a truly independent advisory council. This is the only realistic way out of the current mess.”
The ACMD meets to consider its future on November 10th.
