Mum made 18 requests for rehab as Scottish Tories bid to pass new law

A mum whose pleas for a place in rehab fell on deaf ears is urging MSPs to get behind a proposed law which would ensure those at "death's door" from drug and alcohol addiction can access recovery.

The Right to Addiction Recovery Bill, introduced by Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross, is set to be officially launched in Holyrood on Wednesday.

If passed, it gives addicts access to appropriate treatment as soon as practicable, and within three weeks at most.

Mum who lost everything

Michelle, from Clydebank, told Clyde 1 News: "I lost everything, including my kids, and when I asked for help it was just workshops, and things that I was sent to.

"I didn't know how to get proper help. I asked for rehab more than 18 times and they told me I wasn't bad enough, but the only thing I had left to lose was my life."

"I actually believed I was going to die. It took my ex-partner dying for something to snap inside me and I've been sober since then and I've got a beautiful relationship with my kids.

"I know that if I was to relapse now I could get into rehab because I know people."

A thousand deaths

Official data from the National Records of Scotland showed 1,051 people died from drugs misuse in 2022 and 1,276 from alcohol in the same year.

Police Scotland figures published in March this year that estimated 1,197 drug-related deaths in 2023.

The Bill was developed in conjunction with frontline experts, including Annemarie Ward, chief executive of the UK charity, Faces and Voices of Recovery (Favor).

"Since we wrote it almost four years ago there have been thousands of people who have continued to die,” she said.

“The system the Scottish Government are currently funding is continuing to fail over, and over, and over again, so there is a certain level of insanity in what they're doing."

READ MORE: See designs for Glasgow's 'Safe Consumption Room'

Pressure on John Swinney

Asked whether he thought the new First Minister, John Swinney, could back the Bill, Douglas Ross said: "I'm very hopeful. This is not a controversial Bill. It's not partisan.

"It's a Bill that seeks to save lives. We know that Scotland has an appalling record for drug and alcohol deaths and it's not just the worst in the UK, but the worst anywhere in Europe, so something must be done."

He said the Bill on its own was not a "silver bullet".

Mr Ross said "far too many lives have been lost" during the long process of introducing the Member's Bill.

He added: "This crisis is our national shame and our most vulnerable cannot continue to see those in charge fail to take the necessary and decisive action required to save lives.

The Bill will undergo scrutiny from an allocated lead committee, with experts likely to give evidence in Holyrood.

Its general principles will then be debated and voted on in the Scottish Parliament, with amendments put forward at stage two before a final vote which could see it become law.

'Holistic approach'

Drugs and alcohol minister Christina McKelvie said the government will take time to "consider" the proposals.

She said: We're already taking a holistic, human rights-based approach where problematic drug use is treated as a health, not a criminal matter.

"Our £250 million national mission - informed by people with lived and living experience - aims to get people into the treatment and recovery that is right for them while supporting them to address other social and economic needs.

"We're also supporting the 'national collaborative' process to develop a Charter of Rights for people affected by substance use through engagement with communities across Scotland.

"The most recent benchmarking report highlighted substantial progress in the rollout of our life-saving Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Standards which aim to improve access and choice of treatment.

"We'll continue to drive this, as well as expanding access to residential services and community-based support, mental health services and housing. This approach reflects increasing concerns about increasingly unpredictable and toxic drug supply which potentially impacts a much wider group of people using drugs."

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