ECSTASY SHOULD BE DOWNGRADED, SAYS DRUGS EXPERT

The leading scientist who advised the Government it was safe to
downgrade cannabis to a class C drug yesterday called on ministers to
change the laws on ecstasy.

Professor David Nutt, who is a senior member of the drugs panel which
recommended cannabis reclassification, said grouping ecstasy in the
same high-risk category as heroin and cocaine was misleading for users.

"Ecstasy is not a class A drug. It shouldn't be," said Professor Nutt,
of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs and chairman of its
technical committee that concluded that cannabis did not pose the same
risks as other class B drugs.

David Blunkett, the Home Secretary, says he has no plans to relax the
laws on ecstasy, and last year three leading psychologists provoked an
outcry after claiming there was no conclusive evidence that ecstasy
damages the brain.

The Independent on Sunday has learnt that the council, which advises
the Home Secretary on the risks of drug use, is carrying out a full
review of the classification system.

Professor Nutt's comments come less than a week before cannabis is
reclassified from a class B to a class C drug. From Thursday, officers
will only arrest people found with the drug in extreme circumstances,
for example if a user repeatedly offends.

Professor Nutt said many of the concerns over cannabis law reform were
based on "misconceptions and prejudice".

"Four years ago everyone was saying we were not going far enough. Then
everyone was very positive and a month before the legislation everyone
discovers cannabis is a deadly toxin," Professor Nutt said.

"Almost nothing has changed. This thing about it might cause
schizophrenia - that is still a possibility but that is not a reason
for not reclassifying, it's a reason for making sure people are aware
of the dangers."