FORMER Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill has called on the Scottish Government to demand powers over drug laws be devolved to Holyrood.

The ex-SNP minister, who stood down from the Scottish Parliament last year, accused his party colleagues of cowardice, saying they needed to be more radical.

His comments came after the annual tally of drug-related deaths in Scotland showed 867 people had died last year, 23 per cent more than the previous year and one of the highest rates of fatalities in the EU.

MacAskill suggested the SNP had shied away from drug reform in the past at it would have scared away voters during the independence referendum.

Writing in Holyrood magazine, MacAskill said while drug laws were devolved to Westminster, the Scottish Government needed to “take some responsibility” for the grim death toll.

“For the SNP, drugs must become an area in which they seek powers, not be the policy that dare not speak its name. That silence may have been understandable when the referendum was ongoing, now it’s simply cowardly as tragedy unfolds.

“Moreover, as the serious organised crime fuelled by the drug trade escalates, the war on drugs strategy is being shown to be a failure.”

He added that the government’s Road to Recovery programme, which he helped launch in 2008, needed reviewed with “some alacrity”.

MacAskill said the safe injecting facilities planned for Glasgow should be the first of many across the country, as should premises where Scotland’s 62,000 problem drug users can be dispensed drugs under supervision.

“Of course, there are legal challenges but they’re not insurmountable,” the former lawyer said.

“Both the Police and the Crown have discretion and there’s also just plain common sense.

“The growing post code lottery for treatment and rehabilitation needs addressed. It’s right that it’s devolved to health boards but they need held to account.”

MacAskill said the SNP had “genuflected” towards support for medicinal cannabis but failed to seek the powers.

“Control over drug policy has been eschewed whilst other powers demanded. But why? It can’t be they believe Westminster is either right in what they’re doing or better placed to achieve it.

“There’s a better way, as other countries have shown. Portugal addresses it as a health problem and its reduced criminality and saved lives. Drugs are still taken but the situation is significantly better than Scotland.

“It’s time for the Scottish Government to be radical in action and bold in demands.”

His call was welcomed by drugs reform charities.

Martin Powell, head of campaigns from Transform drug policy foundation, said: “We support Kenny MacAskill’s call. Scotland’s needs a radical change of policy to stop this drug death carnage. Given the UK Government say it won’t make the changes its own advisers say are needed to save Scottish lives, they should just get out of the way and devolve the powers to those who might.

“But of course there’s no point doing that unless the SNP is willing to base its approach on evidence of what works. And that means decriminalising drug users, safer drug consumption rooms, heroin prescribing, and fully funding treatment. “ LibDem MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton said MacAskill’s admission that the government had not reformed drug policy in the run up to the referendum was “a horrifying indictment of the SNP’s priorities”.

“We are leagues behind our European partners and best practice in tackling this.

“The Scottish Government must use the powers at its disposal to restore funding to drug and alcohol services and reform drug law enforcement strategies. It is time both the Scottish and UK Governments adopted approaches that are in line with the mainstream medical and scientific evidence of what works.”