A criminal justice expert has quit the Home Office’s drug advisory panel, claiming political interference in the appointment process is undermining its independence. Prof Alex Stevens, a senior member of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), resigned over the alleged “political vetting” of panel members by the government. “I have resigned because of my concerns over the political vetting of potential members of the ACMD,” he said. “The political vetting fundamentally undermines the independence of the council,” Stevens added. Eastwood has repeatedly called for legal alternatives to the criminalisation of drug users and the introduction of drug consumption rooms.

Source: The Guardian October 06, 2019 14:57 UTC