Drugs row: More could quit over chief advisor sacking
- 00:01:15
- ITN
Drugs row: More could quit over chief advisor sacking
It is predicted there could be mass resignations from the UK's drugs advisory panel in protest at the decision to axe its chairman. Home Secretary Alan Johnson sacked Professor David Nutt on Friday. The professor said that cannabis was less harmful than tobacco and alcohol. At least two members of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) have quit since the sacking. Writing in the Times, the professor warned more of the remaining 28 members could leave, saying: "It seems unlikely that any 'true' scientist will be able to work for this, or future, home secretaries." Writing in the Guardian, Mr Johnson again explained his rationale for the sacking. "Professor Nutt was not sacked for his views, which I respect but disagree with. He was asked to go because he cannot be both a government adviser and a campaigner against government policy."
ITN | November 2, 2009
