Saturday, October 31, 2009

Shooting the messenger

The UK Home Office secretary has fired the Chief Advisor on Drugs, David Nutt. He has been a voice of reason in the debate following the drop in classification for cannabis, which resulted in lower usage in teenagers. The decision to raise the classification again was a purely political decision, going against all observational feedback of its success.

Here's the BBC's story. The Guardian's Comment is Free has a post from David Nutt over the issue, which might have been the final straw for the Home Sec. Never let facts contradict a myopic policy. The Guardian's editorial reacts strongly. You can show your support for David Nutt at this Facebook group.

In our own small way, NZ is replicating this fantasy. Media headlines over the last year give the impression that Judith Collins is scaling up the War on Drugs. Let's see how that goes. Boy, wouldn't it be funny if the National government fell because of a failed War on Drugs?