science

Get the drugs debate rolling

Submitted by Ellis Worthington on Thu, 11/12/2009 - 3:00am
in
http://www.topnews.in/health/files/Smoking-marijuana.jpgby Liz Davies, Morning Star
 
If there's one thing that most politicians can be relied to do, it's to come over all authoritarian as soon as the word "drugs" is mentioned.

Professor David Nutt found that out to his cost when he published the text of a lecture, given by him in July to an audience that included Home Office representatives, concluding that cannabis is mildly harmful but not nearly as harmful as alcohol or tobacco.

Nutt's evidence is clearly set out in his paper and, frankly, his conclusion is unsurprising.

Read more »

Social Science in the Drug War Zone

Submitted by Jacob Hunter on Tue, 11/10/2009 - 7:56am
in

By.

The Mexican city of Juarez, on the U.S. border at El Paso, Texas, has been suffering from wild waves of drug war-related violence in the past few years. Howard Campbell, a professor of sociology and anthropology at the University of Texas at El Paso, just realeased a book, Drug War Zone: Frontline Dispatches from the Streets of El Paso and Juarez, shedding light on the background of what he calls the "drug war zone" that binds Juarez and El Paso, Mexico and the United States.

Read more »

Johnson besieged by Nutt claims

Submitted by Ellis Worthington on Mon, 11/09/2009 - 7:09am
in
Johnson: I did not mislead the HouseJohnson: I did not mislead the House

By Ian Dunt, Politics.co.uk

Alan Johnson is facing serious accusations of misleading MPs when he explained why he had sacked the government's chief advisor on drugs, Professor David Nutt.

He received a letter from Dr Evan Harris, Lib Dem science spokesman, over the weekend, saying he had been made aware of an article and presentation on Prof Nutt's views on drug classification and harm before they occurred.

When the home secretary told MPs about the sacking in the Commons last week, he stressed he was unaware of the paper, published in January, and a speech Prof Nutt then made in King's College London.

Read more »

Are your drugs laws working? Ask a scientist

Submitted by Jacob Hunter on Sat, 11/07/2009 - 11:28am
in

By. Ben Goldacre

It's pleasing to see, in the storm of commentary over Professor David Nutt's sacking as the government's chief drugs adviser, that everyone outside politics now recognises the importance of scientific evidence in devising laws. But a strange reasoning twitch has appeared, in the arguments of politicians and rightwing commentators. Science can tell us about the molecules, they say, about their effect on the body and the risks. But policy is separate: a matter for judgment calls on social and ethical issues. Only politicians, they say, can determine the correct way to send out a clear message to the public. It is not a matter for science.

This is wrong. Alongside research into the risks of drugs, lots of work has also been done on the deterrent impact of different laws, classifications and levels of enforcement. As every piece of research has its own imperfections (and nobody has yet conducted a randomised controlled trial on drugs policy) you can make your own mind up about whether you find the results compelling.

Read more »

Cannabis, Cancer and Autoimmune Diseases

Submitted by Ellis Worthington on Fri, 11/06/2009 - 7:27pm
in
Dr. Robert Melamede talks about the benefits of cannabis for cancer and autoimmune diseases.
video: 

'The population is with me'

Submitted by Ellis Worthington on Fri, 11/06/2009 - 2:33am
in
By Clare Murphy
Health reporter, BBC news
 
The man at the heart of the row over the relationship between politics and science appeared relaxed and unrepentant.

Speaking at a briefing of science journalists, Professor David Nutt leant back in his chair and said his only regret was the way the government had treated him.

He stood by his most controversial comments - such as comparing the dangers of ecstasy with horse riding, as he did earlier this year to the consternation of the then home secretary Jacqui Smith.

Asked in retrospect if it was a wise comparison to have made, he thought it was indeed - and that many parents now thought twice about letting their children clamber on to a horse. Read more »

Letting the Science, Not the Politicians, Decide About Marijuana

Submitted by Jacob Hunter on Thu, 11/05/2009 - 8:50am
in

By Jag Davies

In the commotion surrounding the Obama administration's favorable recent medical marijuana policy memo, a crucial part of the story has gone untold: For decades, the federal government has effectively blocked the standard Food and Drug Administration (FDA) development process that would allow for the marijuana plant to be brought to market as a prescription medicine, and -- so far -- President Obama is continuing this policy.

This frustrating reality belies the recent pronouncements of pundits and policymakers implying that the FDA has already dismissed the medical benefits of marijuana or that proponents have simply failed to explore FDA approval. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Read more »

Jacob responds to Jon Ferry on David Nutt firings

Submitted by Jacob Hunter on Tue, 11/03/2009 - 9:29am
in

Mr Ferry,
While I strongly disagree with you about the latitude which should be afforded scientists in the policy process, I do understand your position.

That being said, why do you not come out strongly when the RCMP (Or, as it was last week, the OPP) issue press releases with unsubstantiated and alarmist statements about the danger of marijuana cultivation facilities?

Last week, the OPP Commissioner issued a press release that have a number of "scare-points" which directly contradict both the scientific evidence and national police statistics. That same police commissioner has repeatedly asked for larger budgets. This press release was issued by the OPP, not by a police union. Public money being used to lobby. Read more »

Government drug adviser David Nutt sacked

Submitted by Ellis Worthington on Fri, 10/30/2009 - 10:08am
in

Professor David Nutt asked to resign after his claims that ecstasy and LSD were less dangerous than alcohol
 
Mark Tran, guardian.co.uk
 

Professor David Nutt, the government's chief drug adviser, has been sacked a day after claiming that ecstasy and LSD were less dangerous than alcohol.

Nutt incurred the wrath of the government when he claimed in a paper that alcohol and tobacco were more harmful than many illegal drugs, including LSD, ecstasy and cannabis. Read more »

Survey Shows Parents Would Rather Talk Drugs Than Science or Math

Submitted by Jacob Hunter on Thu, 10/29/2009 - 12:57pm
in
Better than drugs. Math books. (Image: pentrust.org)

Better than drugs: Math books. (Image: pentrust.org)

There is a point in every family when it’s time for the talk. No, not that talk. Not that one either. I’m talking about the science-and-math talk. The kind of talk that should happen every time your child is having trouble or even just working on homework. Most parents, having been through primary school themselves at some point, have a difficult time with this talk. In fact, according to a recent survey conducted through the Intel Corporation, parents are more comfortable talking with their kids about drugs than about science and math.

Read more »
Syndicate content