Recently resigned ACMD adviser Dr Polly Taylor has stated that her problems with the committee stems from the meetings following the dismissal of Prof Nutt in November and that they were unhappy with the treatment of Prof. Nutt at the time and the implications it had of the treatment of scientific advice.

Dr Taylor says the Government’s want of mutual trust between politicians and scientists is subjective. It gives no guardian against the Government not liking the advice it has been given, therefore the risk exists of dismissing the person giving the advice. She states that it is “desperately important” to be able to give true independent advice and this can be difficult if they know their job is in jeopardy as they are biased by trying to communicate something that the recipient wants to get. She goes on to state that emotive comments made “must be objective, carefully-examined advice based on looking at all data and not just individual emotive responses and knee-jerk reactions.”

Read full resignation letter to the Home Secretary here.

Listen here for the BBC’s Five Live with Tony Livesey on mephedrone and whether this ‘legal high’ should be banned.  The father of one of the Scunthorpe teenage victims of this drug expresses his outrage that the ACMD has not yet released their report to the Government despite recent deaths.  Others speak out their views on mephedrone and whether this should be banned.

Livesey also speaks with Prof Nutt (ex-Chief Drug Advisor to the Government) who states that all drugs are harmful but the question depends on relative harm.  The case to determine whether to illegalise mephedrone requires a cautionary approach taken.  The question of harm should be a public debate.

Apparently, as Chief Advisor before being sacked, Prof Nutt had already recommended to the Government that mephedrone should be classified into the holding class, Class D…advice that was obviously not taken.  Prof Nutt is of the view that if their advice were taken, it would have likely prevented these recent death cases.

It has been revealed that the ACMD were due to provide its advice report to the Government last September in relation to mephedrone, but has now been severely delayed due to the sacking of Prof Nutt.  Due now on March 29, the report is expected to recommend a ban on this substance which has recently claimed the lives of two teenagers.  Current chief drug advisor Prof Iversen has hinted that it will be categorised as a Class B (the same class as amphetamine), carrying with it imprisonment of up to five years for possession and up to 14 years for dealing.  We wait in anticipation of the ACMD’s advice due out next week.          

Former Government Chief Drug Advisor speaks out and has called for a new approach to drugs that have very little scientific information.  Prof Nutt suggests the approach taken by New Zealand where a Class D has been created which includes BZP.  This new classification would act as a holding class for drugs such as mephedrone: restricting sales to over-18s; and quality control of product to educate users and provide health messages.

After the recent deaths of two teenagers who had taken the ‘legal high’ mephedrone, Prof Nutt has backed the Government in treating this as a priority.

Will the UK follow suit and will there be a Class D?

Ex-chief Government advisor on drugs and alcohol, Prof David Nutt, is now developing a drink that he claims will give a ‘kick’ similar to that of spirits minus the harmful effects.  Taking place at the Imperial College London, the development of this synthetic alcohol could be available for clinical trials as soon as 2012.  The product is aimed to provide a safe relaxant for users rather than to intoxicate, in order to help decrease the high number of alcohol-related deaths and medical problems.