Sport can help beat scourge of drugs

Figures released last week revealed Scotland had the highest rate of drug-related deaths in Europe, soaring by 27% to 1,187 last year alone.

I was truly shocked to see such stark and frightening news, and reading the reports really brought home the extent of the problem we have on our doorstep.

Drug misuse is a difficult and complicated problem, with no easy solution. But I can’t help but feel we might be able to save the next generation from following the same dangerous path if we invest more time, money and energy into education and after-school activities, as well as multi-sport and leisure hubs.

The fact the government has cut back on money for youth centres, clubs and sporting activities means there often isn’t a place for people to really belong – which is exactly what we need.

Often enough, young people get into trouble with drugs and alcohol if they have nothing to do, hanging around together with little purpose. It becomes all too easy for them to fall into a bad crowd.

I’ve been involved with sport my whole life, so I know the power of building a sense of community. If we can create safe spaces for children and teens to come together, actively participating in sport, hobbies and charitable causes, perhaps we can prevent problems before they arise. With a few changes and more opportunities, who’s to say we can’t get people hooked on playing for a local football or netball team instead?

I read quite a bit around this issue and was gobsmacked to learn that pill presses are freely available to buy on sites like Amazon for about £2,000. These machines can churn out thousands of tablets an hour, enabling unscrupulous criminals to make drugs with who-knows-what inside them.

Educating the next generation – as well as their parents – and understanding why people are getting into drugs, needs to be a real priority.

As a small country, it should be easier to fix the problems we face than it is in, for instance, the United States.

In Scotland, the rate of drug deaths is higher than it is across the Atlantic when you take into account population size.

Pushing forward change, improving education and cracking down on the criminals who prey on vulnerable people is something that demands our attention.

After all, do we really want to be known as the drugs capital of Europe?