Drug epidemic cuts deep.. they must not fail again
When I heard the drug deaths figures I cried. I know who is affected by this .. and who is dying. Only one of my friends didn’t end up an addict or institutionalised
JOE FitzPatrick’s position as Scotland’s public health Minister was untenable.
In his own words, he had become “a distraction” but the truth is he had to go because he was not up to the job.
FitzPatrick led the Scottish Government’s inadequate response to the drug death crisis and the problem got worse not better.
He had to take responsibility for this week’s catastrophic figures. On his watch, Scotland set another all-time record for drug fatalities.
Opposition parties were justified in calling for his resignation.
Scotland’s drug death rate is worse than any EU country and more than three times higher than England and Wales combined.
But the blame for the decisions that led to 1264 people dying in a single calendar year of drug-related issues must not be laid entirely at FitzPatrick’s door.
Through his tenure he demonstrated he understood the issues and said many of the right things.
He was simply unable to offer the leadership needed at a critical time.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she saw this week’s figures as a failing of the Scottish Government.
To her credit, she did not try to absolve her administration of responsibility by blaming Westminster.
That much was clear when she acknowledged this newspaper was right to call out the SNP for letting down those who died and their families.
The SNP Government must now seize the opportunity to recalibrate its approach to tackling addiction issues.
They cannot afford to fail again.
A RECOVERING drug addict is backing Daily Record calls for the creation of legal drug consumption rooms as Scotland’s drug deaths continue to rise.
Aidan Martin, from Livingston, has supported our campaign after figures released this week showed Scotland has the worst death rate in the world, a figure up six per cent on the previous year.
Statistics showed the total deaths rose from 1187 in 2018 to 1264 in 2019. Our annual death rate is now 3.5 times that of the UK as a whole.
The 34-year-old’s life was plagued by addiction as well as violence, sexual abuse and suicidal thoughts – and now he is speaking out to help others survive.
Inspired to speak out on the crisis by Record columnist, Darren “Loki” McGarvey, Aidan joined the prolific campaigner in signing an open letter to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, demanding action in tackling Scotland’s scandalous drugs crisis.
Dad Aidan still attends recovery sessions and is backing the Record’s campaign, Addicted, after enduring his own drug addiction.
He said: “I fully back safe consumption rooms. They reduce blood-borne viruses, link addicts up with other services, take drug paraphernalia of the streets and humanise the issue.
“Drugs need to be policed better too, with a policy of tolerance where those caught with low-level drugs aren’t criminalised. I have friends who can’t get out of this cycle of addiction because of the stigma attached. They need to be treated as human beings.”
The open letter to the First Minister lists 10 measures campaigners want the Scottish Government to take, including a human rights approach and safe injection rooms, both endorsed by the Record.
Aidan said: “This isn’t an attack on the Scottish Government. The resolution is multifaceted and many organisations and individuals need to step up. But too many people in power have passed the buck and hidden from the problem.
“The UK’s Misuse of Drugs Act does affect the Scottish Government but it’s not totally to blame. Scotland has the same austerity measures as England and Wales yet our death rate is over three times higher. You can’t argue with that.”
Aidan became addicted to pornography at age 10, then followed an addiction to alcohol and drugs at 13. By 15, his life had spiralled and he researched how to take his own life as he battled suicidal thoughts for the first time.
The Masters student and advocacy worker has turned his life around in recent years and published his own memoir. He lives in West Calder with his fiance and two children, and told the Record: “When I heard the figures on drug deaths I cried. I know who is being affected by this and who is dying, I grew up with them.
“Of all my childhood friends, only one didn’t end up an addict or institutionalised.
“Massive change needs to be implemented in Scotland now.”
Aidan’s memoir, Euphoric Recall, has received acclaim from criminologists, university lecturers and prison service chiefs.