The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Minister to be quizzed on Scottish ‘drugs epidemic’
Some ‘important questions’ for the Home Office
The Home Office has “important questions” to answer on drugs legislation, according to the convener of the Scottish affairs committee at Westminster.
Pete Wishart has urged the UK and Scottish Governments to work together to tackle the “drugs epidemic” north of the border.
Crime Minister Kit Malthouse and the Home Office’s crime director Dan Greaves will appear before MPs as the committee concludes its inquiry into problem drug use in Scotland.
The minister will be quizzed on current drugs legislation, which is reserved to Westminster, whether a more health-focused outlook would be better and the disagreements between the Scottish and UK governments over a potential safer consumption facility in Glasgow.
In the summer, the National Records of Scotland revealed 1,187 people had died in 2018 due to drugs.
Holyrood has been at loggerheads with the Home Office over the facility, which would need a legal waiver to allow drugs to be taken on site – something which has been rejected by Westminster.
Mr Wishart said: “As we approach the end of our inquiry into problem drug use in Scotland, we have identified a number of important questions on the UK’s drug policy that the Home Office must answer.
“Scotland is facing a drugs epidemic with the tragic number of drug-related deaths in Scotland continuing to rise.
“Both governments need to consider all options to address this crisis,” he said.
“Throughout our inquiry we have repeatedly heard evidence that a criminal justice approach to drugs has not worked and a public health approach is needed.
“This runs counter to the UK Government’s current policy, including ruling against the opening of a safe drug consumption facility in Glasgow.
“This session gives us an opportunity to put our evidence to the responsible minister and challenge the UK Government’s position.”
The comments came on the same day MPs called for some drug offences to be decriminalised, in a bid to prevent the rising number of related deaths.
The SNP unanimously backed a call for control over drugs laws to be devolved to Scotland, to allow for the “decriminalisation of possession and consumption of controlled drugs” at its recent conference.
The clamour for decriminalisation of currently illegal drugs is becoming louder.
The growing drug-related death rate across the UK, particularly stark in Scotland, has led to a recognition action must be taken.
Whether it should be as drastic as decriminalising illicit substances remains to be seen.
The Scottish Government wants to do so but lacks the power, leading the SNP to pass a motion, unanimously, calling for powers to be transferred to Holyrood to allow for the “decriminalisation of possession and consumption of controlled drugs”.
Westminster’s Health and Social Care Committee has now said the same, pointing to Portugal as a country where such a move has dramatically cut drug tragedies.
The money saved from the policing and justice budgets could be ploughed into health care and prevention – not a silver bullet but surely a better long-term use of scarce resources.
It is not a notion which has, so far, found favour with the UK Government but may prove irresistible if supporting evidence grows alongside an increasing death rate.
An action plan will be unveiled today in response to the findings of the Dundee Drugs Commission, set up to combat the growing problem in the city.
It will be interesting to hear its findings and examine whether they are transferable across the nation.