“International drug laws have set back key areas of scientific research including potential medical treatments, a controversial former government drugs adviser has warned.

In the journal Nature Reviews Neuroscience, Professor David Nutt, of Imperial College London, said UN conventions on drugs act as some of the most scandalous examples of scientific censorship in modern times.

Along with another former government adviser, Leslie King, and Professor David Nichols, of the University of North Carolina, Prof Nutt argues that psychoactive drugs used in research should be exempted from severe restrictions.

Prof Nutt resigned as the chairman of the Advisory Council on Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) in November 2009 over the decision to reclassify cannabis from a Class C to a Class B drug. The possession of cannabis, Ecstasy and psychedelics is regulated under national laws and international conventions dating back to the 1960s.

Prof Nutt said: “The decision to outlaw these drugs was based on their perceived dangers, but in many cases the harms have been overstated and are actually less than many legal drugs such as alcohol.”

More: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/drug-laws-hit-medical-research-040455765.html#NAVDFvc