Mercy mission
WHILE the Westminster Government refuses to take appropriate action to deal with Scotland’s drug-death crisis, decent people feel forced to act ... illegally.
Scotland’s Lord Advocate James Wolffe could offer an effective immunity to prosecution for staff and users – but has chosen not to do so.
The Westminster Government could easily amend the law to allow an official pilot that has the formal support of the Scottish Government and Glasgow City Council.
But Boris Johnson, Priti Patel and co are still stuck in an 80s mindset and believe that a War on Drugs will somehow lead to us policing our way out of a public health crisis.
Founders of a Drug Consumption Room in Glasgow are breaking the law but with 1187 deaths in Scotland last year, it would seem hard-hearted not to offer support.
by MARK McGIVERN
FORMER MP Paul Sweeney yesterday declared he will risk arrest by working on the frontline of a mobile Drug Consumption Room. The Labour politician has promised to join campaigner Peter Krykant and others who want a safe injection facility in Glasgow to prevent overdoses. It will open in three weeks if Krykant can raise £5000 and will Office and the have access to Lord Advocate naloxone, which have said reverses overdoses of assisting opioids such as heroin. people to take Its advocates hope illegal drugs it will help tackle would leave Scotland’s drug staff and death rate, which is users open to arrest. the highest in the world. At the UK’s drugs summit in The move yesterday Glasgow last week, policing attracted a positive minister Kit Malthouse said response from the those opening a DCR could face Scottish Drugs arrest but any decision would Forum, which be made by police. called supervised But Sweeney, who lost his seat drugs rooms “a as Glasgow North East MP last rational and year, has long been committed evidencebased to a safe space for addicts, which would include clean needles and response to access to medical treatment. problems Sweeney said: “I first proposed we face – this approach and have been in such as discussions for several weeks. hazardous “I will be working as a public volunteer on the frontline to injecting, help deliver the service, such is H I V my personal commitment to it. outbreaks and “This will be a direct challenge prevalence of to the tedious grandstanding we hepatitis C”. saw from both the Scottish and But the Home UK Governments last week, demonstrating that, in reality, it is possible to operate a safe consumption room as a socially useful intervention that will save lives under existing law with low real risk of prosecution.”
Scottish Labour’s health spokeswoman Monica Lennon, who backs the Record’s calls for decriminalisation of drugs, supports the consumption van.
She said: “I’ve donated to the fund and will keep lobbying the Lord Advocate to grant immunity to anyone involved.
“To address this public health emergency, we need DCRs and same-day treatment and rehab.”
There are more than 150 DCRs globally but campaigners say Scotland has the greatest need.
The Scottish Government said: “The introduction of such facilities will require a change in the law. The Scottish Government cannot condone any action which would be against the law.”
Police Scotland said it was “committed to new ideas to keep vulnerable people safer”, adding that injection facilities presented “challenges” in terms of the law.