SIR – The sacking of Professor David Nutt as chairman of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (report (October 31) is clearly wrong. The science is on his side.

However there is a deeper political agenda here which exposes the populism of the Labour Party leadership.

In my opinion cannabis is very unlikely to cause schizophrenia. After 35 years as a psychiatrist I cannot recall many cases of so called cannabis-induced schizophrenia where there has not been a family history of schizophrenia.

Professor Robin Murray published one of several family studies that show that cannabis induced psychosis is indeed associated with a positive family history of schizophrenia.

One draws the conclusion that schizophrenia, or its early effects before it becomes clinically diagnosable, is causing the cannabis smoking rather than the other way round. (For some reason Professor Murray ignores his own study and others that support the fact that "cannabis psychosis" is indeed familial.)

The deeper malaise is the need for the Labour Party leadership to portray themselves as the great protectors of the British people, so that they can win votes. The party leadership have convinced themselves that, by creating a moral panic about cannabis, ecstasy and crime, they will be seen as our saviours.

The reality about cannabis is more complex as Professor Nutt has so carefully explained. The same is true about crime and antisocial behaviour, where Labour pretends parents are to blame, and need punishment as much as their children.

It is sad to see the Labour leaders behaving like this so wilfully. It is no surprise that people think they are time-expired as politicians. Only the Liberal Democrats have it right on cannabis.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/letters/6480486/Science-is-on-the-side-of-drug-adviser-sacked-to-make-Labour-look-like-saviours.html

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