A controversial police chief was facing calls to quit yesterday after claiming ecstasy is safer than aspirin.
Anti-drugs campaigners condemned the comments by Richard Brunstrom, the chief constable of North Wales police who advocates the legalisation of all drugs.
"Ecstasy is a remarkably safe substance - it's far safer than aspirin," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. "It's easy to find people on both sides of what is really a very heated debate at the moment, I think. But if you look at the Government's own research you will find that ecstasy by comparison to many other substances, legal and illegal, is a
comparatively safe substance. Ecstasy is not a safe substance and I'm not suggesting that it is. But it's much less dangerous than for instance, tobacco and alcohol, both of which are freely available."
Mr Brunstrom, who has faced criticism from the Association of Chief Police Officers over his stance on drugs, said that prohibition did not work.
But Peter Stoker, of the National Drugs Prevention Alliance, told the Daily Mail: "Mr Brunstrom should resign. His comments are increasingly incompatible with his position."
