Home Secretary ‘too busy’ for Glasgow visit

THE Home Secretary has said he is too busy to come to Glasgow to see the need for radical action to prevent fatal drug overdoses.

Glasgow Central SNP MP, Alison Thewliss, had invited Sajid Javid to come to the city after record drug death figures were recorded for last year.

Last year there were 170 drug-related deaths in the city and most involved opiates, including heroin, often with other substances.

Glasgow City Council and the heath board want to set up a Safer Drug Consumption Facility in the East End, just outside the city centre, to reduce the overdose rate and cut down on public drug injecting.

But the Home Office refuses to consider changing the law to allow such a facility as it requires allowing drug users to bring in heroin to the premises.

The UK Government said it will not allow anything that supports the illegal trade in drugs.

In response to the Glasgow Central MP, Victoria Atkins, Minister for Crime and responsible for drug policy replied on behalf of the Home Secretary. She said: “The UK Government approach remains clear. We must prevent drug use in our communities and support people dependent on drugs through treatment and recovery.”

She said she or the Home Secretary couldn’t commit to a visit to Glasgow at present “due to diary pressures”.

Ms Thewliss, said that it was UK policies causing harm in communities.

She said: “UK Government inaction on this issue has been shameful, particularly in light of the growing body of evidence that suggests we’re facing a public health emergency in Scotland on druginjecting and its associated impact on the vulnerable in our society.”