Eric Carlin has become the seventh government drugs advisor to resign, causing further embarrassment to ministers over their handling of drugs policy.
Mr Carlin said that the ban on the “miaow-miaow” party drug this week was rushed through as a politically motivated attempt to make the Government look tough prior to the election.
In a letter to Alan Johnson, the home secretary, Mr Carlin said the decision was "unduly based on media and political pressure".
He added that he was “extremely unhappy” with the way the drugs council operates.
The resignation will not stop mephedrone – linked to 26 deaths in Britain – being added to the list of illegal drugs within a fortnight, classified as a Class B drug.
However the Government’s key relationship with the ACMD is in tatters, and several other advisors are also understood to be considering their positions.
Mr Carlin is the seventh expert to resign from the committee since October, when the controversial chairman Professor David Nutt was sacked.
Two members, Les King and Marion Walker, quit immediately in protest.
Mr Johnson met the ACMD a month later to reassure the expert panel of its independence, but was faced with three more resignations from council members who were not convinced.
Dr Polly Taylor, a consultant veterinary surgeon and long-standing member of the council, then offered her resignation to the home secretary on the eve of mephedrone being banned.
Lest, however, you think that the Tories will be even millimetrically better on this shit, you may wish to reconsider:
Chris Grayling, the shadow home secretary, said: “The relationship between the government and its drugs advisory council has become utterly shambolic.
"The decision on Mephedrone was the right one, but this latest resignation suggests pretty clearly that the Home Secretary has been completely unable to restore his relationship with the experts who advise him.”
No, Mr Grayling, you utter cockspanner, it's precisely because the fucking experts that are so fucking vaunted in this fucking shit hole of a cuntry were completely ignored and run roughshod over, that they're resigning in fucking droves.
As you will find out yourself in the unlikely event of a fucking Tory victory.
You useless fucking oxygen thief.
8 comments:
Seems to me that the people that are being appointed to the drugs council are shifting towards a personal responsibility ideal of handling drug use in the UK and we all know that politicians hate the concept of individuals taking their own decisions.
<sarcasm&rt;I wonder when other government advisors will start using this approach</sarcasm&rt;
These people don't realise what they are there for, They are not there to advise government on policy they are there to justify the idiotic decisions the minister makes based on daily wail headlines about some chav killing him/herself with a chemical they took willingly.
Why they bother with "experts" is beyond me, when they clearly know so much better themselves.... Sack 'em all & leave it to the know it all Government. Let's be honest, they've done so brilliantly thus far....
Gotta dash...chaps in white coats at my door....
Legalise it and tax it. Cuts crime, brings in tax revenue, reduces black economy, deglamourises the product, improves the quality.
People are going to do it, might as well stop trying to command the tide.
Mitch has it. The Advisory Council is supposed to be "the right kind of expert" - the sort who will give whatever advice the Government already wants to hear, and give that advice a thin layer of "scientific" credibility.
Dr Kelly was supposed to be "the right kind of expert" too. He got confused about his role and gave advice based on facts instead of Government policy. Then he "resigned" rather terminally.
You know, I really hate the fact that this latest bit of bansturbation will be blamed, as always, on "the right wing" and its poisonous influence on the Government. The existence of a right wing that stands for individual liberty is completely forgotten, and as usual certain self-described right-wing journalists will not help the matter at all by cheering on the latest ban. "See! I told you legalising drugs would be dangerous! Children have died!"
Prohibition is fundamentally retarded. To take the extreme end of things,misusing drugs due to addiction is a medical/health issue. Such people need medical care to get over their addictions. So, what do we do? Lock them up. MAYBE you'll get some very shitty rehab treatment in the slammer. Or maybe you'll be forced to go cold turkey.
Drugs are a health issue, but we deal with them as a criminal law issue. We may as well lock up kids who get leukaemia.
I am with the legalisers, Portugal did it with considerable success.
There is no rational arguement for banning drugs. All common sense, evidence from abroad and basic societal self-interest says that giving individual's control over what they do but penalising them if they behave like idiots is the only way to make this problem go away.
But then we'd have to get rid of a load of uncivil servants...hey, another benefit.
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