Ordinary Scots to help politicians find new answers to drugs crisis
A 'People's Panel' will hold a first meeting later this month
A "people's panel" is going to be formed to work with MSPs to look a new ways of tackling the drug deaths crisis in Scotland.
The Scottish Parliament's announced a group of 25 Scots will be asked to consider "what does Scotland need to do differently to reduce drug-related harms?"
News about setting up the group comes just weeks after annual figures showed another increase in the number of Scots dying from drug misuse.
Figures for 2023 showed 1,172 people died in Scotland due to drug misuse - the worst in the UK.
The number was a 12% increase on the year before, but down from the peak in 2020 when 1,339 died.
The panel will meet over two weekends - October 25-27 and November 15-17 - and will be addressed by academics, researchers and those impacted by drugs.
They will hear from organisations including Community Justice Scotland, Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs, and the Scottish Drugs Forum.
Panel picked at random
In September, 5,000 invitation letters were sent to households across Scotland which were selected at random from the Royal Mail's address database.
Of these, 25 people were then chosen to form the panel.
The group, picked to be broadly representative of the Scottish population, will work together to release a final report that will recommend actions to tackle the issue.
The report will be passed to three Holyrood committees which will scrutinise the Scottish Government's strategy on drug deaths.
Fresh ideas
Audrey Nicoll, convener of Holyrood's Criminal Justice Committee, said the panel will "offer a fresh perspective" on how to tackle the issue.
She added: "It is vital that the Scottish Parliament is proactive in involving the people of Scotland in its work.
"This is a unique opportunity for MSPs on our committees to hear grassroots views which can help in holding the Government to account."
Clare Haughey, convener of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, said: "The number of drug-related deaths and the impact of drug-related harms has been a cause for concern for many years.
"It is an issue which deserves national attention and that's why it's so important a range of views from across Scotland are heard.
"Holding a people's panel on this topic is an opportunity for a broad section of Scotland's society to shape political discourse, to consider this matter in detail and to make recommendations which can help tackle this issue."
Collette Stevenson, convener of the Social Justice and Social Security Committee, added: "The findings of the people's panel report will be vital in informing our cross-committee scrutiny of this issue.
"We know that drug-related deaths and the myriad harms of drug use cause pain and distress to people and families across Scotland.
"Our committees look forward to engaging with the panel and hearing their recommendations on what more they feel can and should be done to tackle this issue."