WARNING OVER
UK minister says staff could be charged if drug users die in consumption room
THE UK’s Policing Minister claimed health workers could be charged if anyone died in a drug consumption room. Kit Malthouse, Crime and Policing Minister, said they could face “manslaughter” charges.
Despite saying he came to Glasgow with an “open mind” he said that a consumption room, as argued for by Glasgow City Council and the health board, would not help reduce drug deaths or deal with the harm from drugs.
Instead, Mr Malthouse focused on a law and order approach tackling the supply while also saying new and innovative treatment had to be considered.
He said: “We have to think carefully about what we’re doing.
“Don’t underestimate the difficulties legally. How do you protect the medical profession legally from manslaughter.
“People are reaching for something that feels like they can flick a switch and it will change. It won’t do that.”
At the Scottish Drug Conference yesterday at the SEC, the arguments for a safer drug consumption room was made by health board and council officials and politicians.
Dr Saket Priyadarshi said he couldn’t see any arguments against it. And councillor Mhairi Hunter said no city was more ready that Glasgow to trial one.
It was also noted that no-one had died from an overdose in any of the around 150 drug consumption rooms operating in other countries around the world.
Mr Malthouse however, said: “It is not on the table at the moment. No. There’s lots more we can do.”
He added: “I’m anxious not to get into a squabble.”
Susan Aitken, leader of Glasgow City Council, said: “The UK Government came to Glasgow simply to dismiss international expert evidence and the voices of those with lived experiences, frontline clinicians and social care professionals as a ‘distraction’.
“Even before the event commenced Mr Malthouse announced that a more assertive law and order approach was the solution to our drugs emergency. That is not the ‘open mind’ he promised to bring to Glasgow.
“Our priority is saving our city.”
She also said he was a member of the Government that could change the law if it wanted to, adding it only needs current law to be amended, not new legislation.
The UK Government is also proposing more talks between police forces and a cross border meeting of ministers to agree a strategy to tackle drug deaths and drug dealing.
After a Scottish Conference on Wednesday and a UK summit yesterday, the UK minister for policing said there will be another meeting in a month’s time in Belfast between ministers from the UK and the devolved administrations.
He also proposed a round table of senior police officers from Police Scotland and forces in England, including Greater Manchester and Merseyside.
Mr Malthouse said: “I’m going to propose an England Scotland policing round table to decide what we can do to interfere with the business model.
“This is not the end. It is the beginning of a concerted action.”
At the summit Dame Carol Black revealed her lives in
UK review into Drug Misuse.
The UK Summit heard calls for better treatment and recovery services available.
Carol Calderwood, Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer, said: “We have treated people with addictions and long term chronic conditions as criminals and pushed them through the justice system.
“We don’t treat any others in this way. We have not helped them on the road to recovery.”
Dame Carol said: “We need much more accountability and better treatment and recovery. Budgets have been squeezed and councils need to make choices and haven’t prioritised this.”
Annemarie Ward, Faces and Voices of Recovery chief executive, said: “Today’s summit sounds like more of the same, another talking shop that doesn’t deliver real action to prevent drug deaths.
“There are a lot of positives in