AT THE end of our photoshoot, the photographer asks Professor David Nutt — esteemed neuropsychopharmacologist and one-time chief drug adviser to the Government — if he’d record a voice note. “It’s for my brother, he’s a big fan of your work.” Professor Nutt obliges with a smile. Since being fired from his role in 2009 for claiming that LSD and ecstasy were less dangerous than alcohol, Professor Nutt has become a cult figure among the young and disenfranchised — most recently that status has been a by-product of his research into psychedelic-assisted mental healthcare.
“I was sacked by the Government for telling the truth about these drugs,” says the 72-year-old. “Of course the world went mad, because no one was allowed to say that. Everyone had been taught to say that LSD was a very dangerous drug and blah, blah, blah — bollocks!” Still, it had to smart a little? “Oh, it did — but oh well. Now I’m sort of used to being out there in the public eye.”
Denne historien er fra February 07, 2024-utgaven av Evening Standard.
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Denne historien er fra February 07, 2024-utgaven av Evening Standard.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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