The UK Government must not ignore a Westminster report calling for safe drug consumption rooms to be piloted in Scotland, an SNP MP has warned. Alison Thewliss has been campaigning for safe spaces for users to take substances under medical supervision for a number of years. A report by from the Home Affairs Committee at Westminster has now recommended UK ministers back the set-up of a pilot scheme in Glasgow. The Record has led the way in campaigning for Scotland’s drugs-deaths crisis to be taken seriously be politicians and treated as a health emergency.
The report recommends the Scottish and UK Governments work together to fund the scheme. Scottish ministers have been pressing for drug law reform, including safe consumption facilities, however Westminster has previously ruled this out. The committee report also recommends that drug laws are devolved to the Scottish Parliament if the UK Government remains unwilling to support the pilot. It comes as figures published last week revealed drug deaths in Scotland had fallen to their lowest since 2017, to 1,051. However, the country still has the highest death rate in Europe.
Thewliss said the report is “important recognition” that immediate action is needed at a Westminster level, including reforming the Misuse of Drugs Act. She said: “The Tories can no longer ignore the need for urgent reform of the UK’s drug laws. They must accept the recommendations of the cross-party Home Affairs Committee report and the demands the SNP has made for years for safe consumption rooms.
“Safe consumption rooms are not a silver bullet when it comes to drug deaths in Scotland, but they do have a part to play in a joined up approach from every level of government to combat drug-related deaths, and – as this committee agrees – could save lives. “The Misuse of Drugs Act is over fifty years old and must now be reviewed as a matter of urgency. Criminalising drug users has done nothing but entrench a problem that sees far too many people die each year. “We mustn’t see more lives needlessly lost. This report is an important recognition that swift change is needed, but it must be followed with action from the UK Government.”
Christine Jardine, Scottish Lib Dems home affairs spokeswoman, said: “No one can seriously look at UK drug laws and the spike in drugs deaths that we have seen in recent years and conclude that the present system is serving anybody well. “Much of what is in this report has been Liberal Democrat policy for years. From trialling safe consumption to on-site drug checking services at festivals, these are common-sense, evidence-based proposals which can help us to get a handle on the harms drug misuse can pose, while ensuring that resources are freed up to tackle criminal gangs who profit from the trade in illegal drugs.”
Source: DAILY RECORD
