We need to open minds on drugs
Committee calls for radical action to tackle national drugs emergency
THE Daily Record set the ball rolling when it came to advocating the decriminalisation of drugs as part of a radical new approach to tackling the endemic problems faced by some parts of Scotland.
Now experts and frontline workers, everyone in fact bar the Government in Westminster, is coming around to the idea that we need a different approach.
The Scottish Government has backed calls for supervised drug consumption facilities, which would save lives. But the Home Office rules on the misuse of drugs is preventing the experiment from going ahead.
Now the Commons health and social care committee has joined calls for a health approach to drugs policy and for responsibility for the issue to be removed from the Home Office, which has a punitive approach to the drugs problem.
Today, Home Office ministers are in front of the Commons Scottish affairs committee with the opportunity to show that they have open minds on the issue and are open to discussion on how to tackle this blight on people’s lives.
WESTMINSTER MPs have backed the Daily Record’s call for the decriminalisation of drugs amid a growing national emergency.
A report by the Health and Social Care Committee found the country’s position on drugs was failing and called for a radical new approach.
The committee’s findings echo views repeatedly published in the Record, demanding that drug possession for personal use should be a civil matter not a crime, and policies to deal with drug addicts should focus on healthcare, not prosecution.
The report urged the Government to consult on decriminalisation and to look at the system in Portugal where this was introduced, saying such a move would save money from the criminal justice system.
Similar thinking inspired the SNP to adopt decriminalisation as party policy this month.
Although the rate of drug deaths in the rest of the UK is not as bad as in Scotland, the numbers are among the highest in the developed world and rising fast.
The report claims decriminalisation could save lives and called for “sufficient funding” for alternative approaches, such as a pilot of drug consumption rooms.
The latest support for a more liberal approach means the Tory Government stands alone in its “war on drugs” mentality, which has been a disaster.
Committee chairman Dr Sarah Wollaston said there needed to be a “radical upgrade in treatment and holistic care for those who are dependent on drugs, and this should begin without delay”.
She added: “Every drug death should be regarded as preventable and yet across the UK, the number of drugsrelated deaths continues to rise to the scale of a public health emergency.
“Recommendations put forward in this report propose changes to drugs policy that are desperately needed to prevent thousands of deaths. Avoidable drug deaths are increasing year on year across the UK, but there has been a failure to act on the evidence.”
The report claims there should be more needle and syringe exchanges and “take home” naloxone, which can reverse the effects of opioids. There were 2670 deaths attributed to drug misuse in England last year, an increase of 16 per cent since 2017. The report added: “The United Kingdom has some of the highest drug death rates in Europe, particularly in Scotland. This report shows how the rate of drug-related deaths has risen to the scale of a public health emergency. “The Portuguese system included improving treatment services, introducing harm reduction interventions, and better education, prevention and social support. Decriminalisation of possession for personal use saves money from the criminal justice system and allows for more investment in prevention and treatment. “Decriminalisation will not be effective without investing in holistic harm reduction, support and treatment services for drug addiction. “Doing so would save lives and provide better protection for communities.” Today, the Scottish Affairs Committee has a final evidence session with the Home Office on drugs policy. Ahead of the meeting, committee chairman Pete Wishart MP said: “Scotland is facing a drugs epidemic with the tragic number of drug-related deaths in Scotland continuing to rise.
“Both Governments need to consider all options to address this crisis.
“Throughout our inquiry we have repeatedly heard evidence that a criminal justice approach to drugs has not worked, and a public health approach is needed. This runs counter to the UK Government’s policy, including ruling against the opening of a safe drug consumption facility in Glasgow. “This session gives us an opportunity to put our evidence to the responsible minister and challenge the UK Government’s position.”