Two resign after British scientist fired

LONDON, Nov. 2 (UPI) -- Two members of Britain's official drug advisory board have resigned in protest of the government's firing of a scientist, The Times of London reported Monday.

The newspaper said Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs members Les King, an expert chemist, and Marion Walker, a clinical director with the Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, have submitted letters of resignation in the wake of the firing of the board's chairman, David Nutt, by Home Secretary Alan Johnson.

The fallout from Nutt's firing is prompting speculation about more resignations from the Misuse of Drugs board, raising fears that experts will become reluctant to sit on such British government advisory panels, The Times reported.

Johnson has said Nutt was fired because he campaigned against a government position on drugs policy. Nutt reportedly said in a speech that Ecstasy and LSD were less harmful than alcohol and cigarettes and criticized a decision to upgrade marijuana to a class B narcotic.

"All scientists who work without pay to advise the government must surely be considering their positions," Ian Stolerman, emeritus professor of behavioral pharmacology at King's College London, told the newspaper in a letter.