FIRST-TIME

offenders caught with drugs could avoid prosecution under plans launched by the Scottish Conservatives yesterday.

In a bid to tackle addiction, those carrying illegal substances, including heroin or cocaine, would be offered the choice between a criminal charge or working with a local group.

Tory health spokesman Miles Briggs published the proposal ahead of the release of the Scottish Government’s long-awaited alcohol and drug strategy.

Illegal substances killed 934 people in Scotland last year, including three children under 14. Mr Briggs said the Tories’ series of interventions are designed to offer addicts a ‘second chance’. The party also called for an independent review of methadone use.

Mr Briggs said: ‘SNP efforts to reduce drug misuse have failed. The crisis is getting worse.’

Public health minister Joe FitzPatrick said the SNP drug and alcohol strategy would ‘recognise the importance of services engaging with those not ready to abstain from drug use in a way that meets their complex needs’.