Adviser quits in row over ban on dance drug

Eric Carlin said his resignation from the Advisory Council for the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) was prompted by a decision to outlaw the drug which he claimed was "unduly based on media and political pressure".

He is the seventh member of the council to resign following the sacking of former chairman Professor David Nutt in October in a continuing row over how scientific advice is used by the Government.

Mr Carlin, 47, said he had grown disillusioned with the ACMD's "lack of interest" in prevention and early intervention with young people.

Earlier this week Home Secretary Alan Johnson announced mephedrone would be banned within weeks.

It has been linked to up to 25 deaths in England and Scotland including Louis Wainwright, 18, and Nicholas Smith, 19, of Winteringham, North Lincolnshire, and Lois Walters, 24, of Norton, North Yorkshire, in March.

Mr Carlin said he believed the decision to rush through the ban had been politically motivated in order for the Government to look tough prior to the election.

In his letter of resignation, he said: "We had little or no discussion about how our recommendation to classify this drug would be likely to impact

on young people's behaviour. Our decision was unduly based on media and political pressure."

He added: "As well as being extremely unhappy with how

the ACMD operates, I am not prepared to continue to be part of a body which, as its main activity, works to facilitate the potential criminalisation of increasing numbers of young people."

Prof Nutt, who was sacked after saying Ecstasy was less harmful than alcohol, said: "The meeting this week was rushed through so that the chairman could leave to do a press conference when the Home Secretary wanted to do a press conference – it's a travesty about a proper discussion, about the proper way in which you should deal with an important issue like mephedrone."

A Home Office spokesman said the resignation was "regrettable".

"However it does not impact on our plans to ban mephedrone and the other substances as soon as parliamentary time allows," he added.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling 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."

Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne added: "There is no point having experts to adv ise on drugs if Labour is only interested in pandering to tabloid newspaper editors.

"I'm not a scientist, nor is the Home Secretary, nor is the Shadow Home Secretary for the Conservatives and we should be careful to take the advice of the advisory council and make sure that it is properly independent and is quite free of political meddling."

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