| Teenagers' deaths said not to have been caused by mephedrone |
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Statement by David Nutt: "It has been reported today that Louis Wainwright and Nicholas Smith, two young men whose deaths had been linked by the police to use of mephedrone, in fact had no trace of the drug in their system. Their deaths helped to spark considerable media attention on mephedrone, leading to a rushed classification ahead of the publication of the EMCDDA's findings in July. If these reports are true, the previous government's rush to ban mephedrone never had any serious scientific credibility - it looks much more like a decision based on a short term electoral calculation. This news demonstrates why it's so important to base drug classification on the evidence, not fear and why the police, media and politicians, should only make public pronouncements once the facts are clear." |