THE DRUG LAWS DO NOT WORK
WESTMINSTER MPS BACK RECORD CAMPAIGN
The public debate has changed dramatically in Scotland and that is in no small part down to the Daily Record, which has taken a bold and brave stance on the drugs crisis
MP PETE WISHART
SCOTTISH MPs at Westminster are demanding the urgent decriminalisation of drugs and the opening of safe drug consumption rooms to tackle Scotland’s drug deaths crisis. The recommendations of the cross-party Scottish affairs committee echo the views of the Daily Record, which came months before the SNP also adopted decriminalisation as official party policy. Despite blocks on radical reforms by the Home Office, the drugs investigation also led to criticism of the Scottish Government, which cut funding as deaths spiralled out of control under its watch. The Problem Drug Use report – published urgently before Parliament is dissolved – claims its recommendations should be adopted throughout the UK, as drug deaths elsewhere are also at historically high levels. Committee chairman Pete Wishart said: “Decriminalisation is becoming the new normal and I am sure that is the way we’ll go in time. “I should point out that the public debate has changed dramatically in Scotland recently and that is in no small part down to the Daily Record, which has taken a bold and brave stance on the drugs crisis.
“The Record’s stories have challenged the establishment and significantly changed the language and climate of the debate.”
The Westminster investigation spoke to many witnesses who have already featured in the Record’s own investigation into Scotland’s drug deaths, which reached 1187 last year – the highest death rate of any nation in the world. Members followed us to Portugal to hear of the benefits brought there by decriminalisation and talked to drug reformers in Ottawa, Canada, and Frankfurt, Germany. The committee visited Glasgow to hear of open-air heroin dens that we highlighted, with needles strewn yards from the proposed site of a drug consumption room (DCR), which has been blocked by the UK Government. In the report, Wishart stresses the need for decriminalisation and urged the next UK Government to declare a public health emergency to enable faster reform. He adds: “If this number of people were being killed by any other illness, the Government would declare it as a public health issue and act accordingly. “The evidence is clear – the criminal justice approach does not work. “Decriminalisation is a pragmatic solution to problem drug use; reducing stigma around drug use and addiction, and encouraging people to seek treatment. “The health and social care committee also said the Government should consider decriminalisation. It reflects the weight of evidence, and I hope the next Government takes this recommendation seriously.” On DCRs, where addicts can inject
in safety and dispose of needles while consulting with medical staff, the report claims the evidence is “overwhelming”.
It argues that while these facilities do not come without challenges and are not a silver bullet, they could be a cost-effective solution to the drug crisis.
It states that if the UK Government is unwilling to lawfully establish a safe consumption facility pilot in Scotland, powers over drugs legislation should be devolved to the Scottish Parliament.
In the report, Wishart adds: “The Home Office’s decision to block the introduction of a safe drug consumption facility in Glasgow, despite the record number of drug deaths in Scotland, is deeply regrettable, and we hope that they will reconsider.”
The group’s report also rebuked the SNP Government, which has been in power as the death rate rose from 455 in 2007 to 1187 in 2018. Wishart, who is seeking re-election as an SNP MP, says: “Though there is plenty of action the UK Government must take to tackle drug use, the Scottish Government must ensure that health services are properly funded, and that funding cuts are not worsening the problem.”
The report slams the cutting of Alcohol and Drug Partnerships budgets in the 2016-17 Scottish Government budget, which made the situation worse.
The inquiry heard from academics, individuals and families with experience of drug use, charity groups, service agencies and police forces.
The welfare policies of the
Department for Work and Pensions – particularly Universal Credit – are also criticised for their effect on people who use drugs.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “The Government has no plans to decriminalise drug possession.
“It would not eliminate the crime committed by the illicit trade nor would it address the harms associated with drug dependence and the misery that this can cause to families and communities.
“There is no legal framework for the provision of drug consumption rooms as a range of crimes would be committed in the course of running such a facility.”
It adds: “If the Scottish Government wants to call for more powers to tackle the drug crisis, it must demonstrate that it is doing everything within the powers it already has.”