No easy answer to drug scourge

Sir, - In the face of the latest rise in drug deaths in Scotland, taking us to the worst level in Europe, it is clearly time to think again about what really works.

Every one of the 867 deaths across Scotland from drug-related causes in 2016 is a tragedy, with areas like Dundee suffering particularly badly.

I hope the Scottish Government does instigate a fundamental review as many experts are calling for, but there is little point unless this is done with a genuinely open mind, and a willingness to reverse some of the impacts of cuts in this area.

The issues behind drug deaths are both longstanding and complex, and cannot be blamed on any one political party.

Indeed, the selfdestructive tendencies brought on by drug misuse have ultimately to be faced up to by those using drugs who need help to find the way to change.

Yet the services that have been proven to work have been starved of funding.

Years of squeezing local authority budgets has been passed on to the third sector in Scotland, and, within the range of social projects it manages, the drug misuse sector has arguably suffered worst than most.

Trying to break the cycle of drug misuse requires a long-term commitment that is unavoidably expensive, involving as it so often does for a given individual, a sequence of setbacks along the way.

The Scottish Government needs to understand that attempting to solve this problem on the cheap is simply not going to work, and if it is serious in wanting to make a difference, there are many on the frontline of supporting addicts who have the insights to help. Keith Howell. White Moss, West Linton.