In 2009, David Nutt, a neuropsychopharmacologist who served as chair of Britains Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs ACMD, published a paper in a medical journal that offered a provocative thesis: horseback riding, he wrote, was more dangerous than taking ecstasy. Examining the two activities across a range of metrics, Nutt estimated that every 10,000th ecstasy pill leads to an “adverse event,” while a rider is injured every 350th episode.

The story went viral and the details of Nutts analysis were lost in the ensuing media tempest. His own organization tried to distance itself from him, saying that the article was part of his academic work. His governmental bosses were even more displeased: He was soon fired, earning the sobriquet “the scientist who was sacked.”

Finish reading the review @ drugs without the hot air by david nutt – bookforum.com / daily review.