[420 Girl]

The UK's chief drug advisor to the federal government has suggested Ecs*tasy, L*D and cannabis are less dangerous to society than alcohol and cigarettes.

The possession and use of Ecs*tasy, L*D and cannabis are punished much more severely that similar crimes with alcohol and cigarettes in both the UK and the US, leading many to question whether the nation's drug policy is on target with real information.

David Nutt, who is the acting chairman of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, says the repeat classification of certain drugs as dangerous and others, like alcohol and cigarettes, as not dangerous is a blatant disregard for scientific evidence. The Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, was responsible for originally reclassifying cannabis.

A Class B drug classification is actually a downgrade from cannabis's former Class A status in the UK. However, it is still placed in a category that makes it a highly risky drug, and it is still considered criminal, where alcohol and cigarettes are not. Nutt says scientific research points to the opposite fact, that cannabis is not highly risky, and that it in fact presents only a small risk of danger. He is proposing a "harm" index that would classify drugs according to real statistics on how they harm society.

According to the advisor's "harm" index, the most harmful drugs are: coc*aine, her*oin, barbi*tuates and methadone. These are followed closely by alcohol, which takes the fifth place spot. Tobacco is placed in ninth place, ahead of cannabis, L*D and Ecs*tasy. He published this opinion in a paper for the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies at Kind's College London.

Nutt has been arguing for years that alcohol should be rated more harmful than other drugs. He first suggested the harm index in 2007. In fact, he goes so far as to say taking Ecs*tasy is no more dangerous than riding horses frequently.

He says the government has long placed an "artificial" separation on the drugs tobacco and alcohol. The separation is due to their widespread use, but it is even more due to the ability for the government to generate a healthy tax revenue from these drugs.

These statements come at the same time the Obama Administration has announced a policy to no longer prosecute use of federally illegal drugs in states where they are legal. For example, federal raids on cannabis facilities in California were a constant threat in the past even though California is one of the states providing for legal use of the substance with a medical prescription.

Now, the federal government will only look to enforcement if the action is against both state and federal laws. This move was long expected due to previous statements from the Administration, but it was only now made official.

The government has maintained, however, it will still punish those who drive under the influence of the drug. It is illegal to drive under the influence of cannabis in all states that provide for its legal use.

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