CHARITIES have renewed calls for a legal “fix room” as new figures reveal seizures of heroin more than doubled in Scotland last year.
Police Scotland seized almost 120kg of the class A drug in 2017-18. In the previous year that total was under 55kg.
The haul marked a four-year high and came as the single force trebled its haul of “ecstasy-type” tablets to around 25,400 and the amount of cannabis recovered also increased.
Meanwhile, the quantity of cocaine recovered fell.
Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said the Scottish Government’s new alcohol and drugs strategy will “strengthen existing measures to support those vulnerable to drug and alcohol harm, while applying the full force of the law to hit the dealers who cause misery that blights the lives of so many”.
However, Labour’s Daniel Johnson said the “drug crisis in our communities” should be treated as a public health emergency, while Liam Kerr of the Tories accused the SNP of being “far too soft”, adding: “We have an SNP administration more interested in making it easier for people to take drugs, instead of giving them the support they need to beat the habit.
“Addiction is ruining lives and our public services find themselves already stretched dealing with the fallout through crime, disorder and health impacts.”
The figures were released on the same day that four charities set out their support for a legal drug consumption room (DCR) in a letter to MPs.
Authorities in Glasgow claimed such a facility, located in the city centre, would address health and addiction issues while also tackling crime and anti-social behaviour.
Their attempt to establish the centre, modelled on similar sites abroad, was blocked by the UK Government, which retains control over drug laws.
In a letter produced last summer, the Home Office said it was aware of the evidence from overseas which proves the efficacy of DCRs, which focus on intravenous drug use, but had concerns about medical ethics, law enforcement and other matters.
In their letter to the UK Parliament’s Health Select Committee, which is examining drug policy, HIV Scotland, the Scottish Drugs Forum, Hepatitis Scotland and Waverley Care said as many as 500 people who currently inject in public could be helped.
They also argued that DCRs have been shown to be cost-effective and do not increase drug use or drug-related crime, and say that an exemption to the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 could clear up legal problems around the operation of a Glasgow site, which would be the first of its kind in the UK.
Grant Sugden, chief executive of HIV and hepatitis C charity Waverley Care, said: “The establishment of a DCR in Glasgow could play a really important part in addressing the huge health impacts of problem drug use. In particular, it would help tackle the transmission of blood-borne viruses amongst some of society’s most vulnerable individuals.”
Meanwhile, Green MSP John Finnie, a former police officer, has written to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon calling for a public inquiry into drug deaths.
He said: “There were over 900 drug deaths in 2017. This is around eight times the EU average, and it is feared that the figure for 2018 will be even higher. There is a lot of great harm reduction work taking place across the country, however everything suggests that the current trajectory will continue.
“In the face of this public health crisis we must establish every aspect of the problem and act on this evidence in order to comprehensively address it.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here