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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| Government drugs adviser resigns | Government drugs adviser resigns |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| A part-time adviser on the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs has resigned over the sacking of its head, Prof David Nutt. | A part-time adviser on the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs has resigned over the sacking of its head, Prof David Nutt. |
| Dr Les King told the BBC that Home Secretary Alan Johnson had denied Prof Nutt's "freedom of expression". | Dr Les King told the BBC that Home Secretary Alan Johnson had denied Prof Nutt's "freedom of expression". |
| The chief drugs adviser was sacked after saying cannabis is less harmful than alcohol or nicotine and has been reclassified for political reasons. | |
| He said the drug had been upgraded to Class B against scientific evidence. | He said the drug had been upgraded to Class B against scientific evidence. |
| The move had been "on the whim of the prime minister", Prof Nutt claimed. | |
| After being sacked via e-mail by Mr Johnson, Prof Nutt predicted there would be resignations from the government advisory body that he headed. | |
| Dr King was appointed on 3 April 2008 and wrote a book on the Misuse of Drugs Act in 2003. He was previously head of the Drugs Intelligence Unit in the Forensic Science Service. | |
| MARK EASTON'S UK We are witnessing a collision between science and politics - there may be significant fall-out Mark Easton BBC's home editor Read Mark's thoughts in full and the correspondence between Alan Johnson and Prof Nutt | |
| Speaking to Sky News on Sunday, Mr Johnson said he thought his ex-chief drugs adviser was "wrong" on cannabis - but sacked him for "crossing a line" into politics. | |
| Mr Johnson had earlier said he hoped there would not be resignations, adding: "This was not about Prof Nutt's views, which I respect though I don't agree with them." | |
| He said: "What you cannot have is a chief adviser at the same time stepping into the political field and campaigning against government decisions. You can do one or the other. You can't do both." | |
| Mr Johnson said that Prof Nutt had "crossed the line between offering advice and then campaigning against the government on political decisions". |