BORIS Johnson has promised to discuss calls to legalise safe consumption rooms.
Though the Prime Minister has made clear he was unconvinced by the proposal, claiming they’d lead to more people using drugs.
The commitment came after Scotland’s drug death total reached a new record high, with 1264 people dying in 2019, a 6% increase on the year before.
Nearly seven in 10 of those who died last year were male and more than two-thirds were aged 35-54.
According to the National Records of Scotland, our drug-death rate was higher than those reported for all the EU countries and was approximately three and a half times that of the UK as a whole.
Raising the matter in the Commons during Prime Minister’s Questions, SNP MP Ronnie Cowan said the grim statistics showed a need to look again at drug consumption rooms (DCRs).
While health and policing is devolved to Holyrood, drug laws are reserved to Westminster.
The Scottish Government has long-backed introducing supervised drug consumption rooms, however the UK Government is opposed.
There are nearly 100 officially sanctioned drug consumption rooms across the world and none have ever recorded an overdose death.
On Tuesday, after the statistics were published, Professor Angela Thomas, acting president of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, backed the call for the rooms to be established.
READ MORE: Pete Wishart: Scotland must do more in drug crisis, but Westminster is in way
“This is a public health emergency, which requires a collaborative approach between government, public health agencies, political parties and the clinicians who are dealing with the crisis on the front line” she said.
Cowan told MPs: “Previously the UK Government has held an ideological view that drug consumption rooms encourage drug taking.
“Will the Prime Minister engage with me and allow me the opportunity to help the Prime Minister do a good thing?”
Johnson replied: “I must say that we don’t want to do anything that would encourage the consumption of more drugs, nor do we want to decriminalise the possession of drugs – because I believe that they ruin lives and drive criminality across this whole United Kingdom.
“I am more than happy to look at the proposals he makes one more time and indeed to pursue the agenda of tackling drugs, but I may say that the majority of powers that are needed, the vast panoply of powers that are needed to tackle drugs and drugs crime, are already vested with the devolved administration in Scotland.
“I am afraid the failures that he talks about are very largely down to them.”
Speaking after the exchange, Cowan told The National he’d be writing to Johnson “outlining where we need change regarding the specific issues of DCRs”.
Cowan said: “It was a typical Boris Johnson answer in that he started by saying he didn’t want to do anything to encourage the consumption of more drugs.
“Nor do I and DCRs don’t encourage more consumption. They provide a safe space. Those consuming would be doing so anyway and nobody starts injecting heroin because we have provided a safe space to do so. That’s just nonsense."
He added: “On the up side he does say he will look at my proposals, one more time.”
Meanwhile, Nicola Sturgeon yesterday defended Public Health minister Joe FitzPatrick who has been urged to quit over the tragic drug death figures.
Asked if she still had confidence in FitzPatrick, Sturgeon said “every minister in my government is someone I by definition have confidence in”.
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 hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel