A new Scottish Government strategy to tackle alcohol and drug addiction has been labelled a ‘tragic missed opportunity’ and ‘dangerously complacent’ by opposition politicians.
Critics argued the strategy, unveiled at the Cairn Centre in Dundee on Wednesday, fails to include reviews of drug-related deaths or the current methadone programme, which has been implicated in half of all drug fatalities.
Ministers behind the new policy, which has been backed with £20 million of funding annually, have also been accused of failing to attach targets to the goals put forward.
Scottish Conservative health spokesman Miles Briggs said: “The SNP Government drugs strategy is a tragic missed opportunity to tackle the drugs crisis in our country.
“More than 1,000 people are likely to die from drug addiction next year. That is a scandal.
“This SNP Government strategy is mostly a continuation of the failed strategy that has seen drug deaths double over the last ten years.
“In addition, the SNP Government has cut the funding for drug and alcohol partnerships by £20 million. Unlike the SNP the Scottish Conservatives are not willing to give up on problem drug users.
“The SNP’s dangerous complacency means lives will continue to be destroyed, families will be wrecked and communities dominated by the increasing threat of illegal drugs.”
The Scottish Conservatives recently released their own plan to “reduce drug deaths, improve access to rehabilitation and actively engage with addicts to encourage them to come off drugs”.
The party claimed its own proposals would halve the number of drug deaths in five years and increase the number of problem drug users accessing treatment from 40% to the UK average of 60%.
However, Ken Lynn, an SNP councillor on the Dundee Drugs Commission, said he does not see “anything in the Conservative proposals which is particularly innovative”.
“I’m particularly disappointed by the absence of any meaningful harm reduction proposals, such as safe injecting rooms, as I believe this is a key factor in reducing the level of drug deaths,” he added.
“I would be happy if the Scottish Tories were to change course and try to persuade the Westminster Government that powers over drug legislation be transferred to Holyrood, as the SNP has.”
The Scottish Government’s plan to reduce drug and alcohol-related harm advocates approaching substance misuse as a public health issue, and will see problem users increasingly moved towards support services.
It found those facing addiction have often previously seen their lives impacted by social ills such as inequality, trauma and poverty, and suggests support rather than stigmatisation is needed to address the problem.
