Scottish Government to hold drugs conference on day before UK event in Glasgow
Both events will be held at the Scottish Events Campus later this month
A Scottish drugs summit is being held in Glasgow, just a day before a similar UK Government event in the city.
Public Health Minister Joe FitzPatrick said the event would focus on people with “lived experience” and would tackle issues facing Scotland that the UK conference will not address.
Both summits are due to take place at the Scottish Events Campus - on February 26 and 27 respectively.
Mr FitzPatrick said the UK Government event will not hear from those with experiences of drug misuse despite entreaties from Holyrood for the summit to be extended.
The Scottish Government has previously accused Westminster of setting up the summit without consultation - leading to the minister saying he was “surprised” when the event was announced.
Last summer, statistics were released showing 1,187 people in Scotland died from drug-related deaths.
Chaired by Crime Minister Kit Malthouse, the UK Government event will bring together politicians, health professionals and senior police officers from across the UK.
Co-hosted by the Scottish Government and Glasgow City Council, the earlier summit will inform contributions of the Scottish delegation the following day.
Mr FitzPatrick said: “What Scotland faces in terms of drug deaths is nothing short of a public health emergency. The UK event, while welcome, simply does not have the voices of people with lived experience in Scotland at its heart.
“We've pressed the UK Government to extend their event to accommodate this, but this has not yet been forthcoming.
“As a result, we are working with Glasgow City Council to host a Scottish summit on the eve of the UK event to try and better highlight the problem in Scotland.”
The Scottish Government has appealed to the UK Government for the devolution of drug powers to Holyrood, in a bid to better tackle the problem, however Westminster has refused their requests.
Mr FitzPatrick has repeatedly said drug addiction should be viewed as a public health issue as opposed to a criminal justice problem.
He added: “It's clear the Misuse of Drugs Act is no longer fit for purpose. To enable innovations, such as a safer drug consumption facility, the law needs to change.”
Susan Aitken, the leader of Glasgow City Council, said “no option was off the table” in tackling problem drug use in the city.
Glasgow City Council have also been pushing to pilot a safe consumption facility in the centre of the city, which would allow users to take drugs in a medically safe environment as well as offering the necessary support.
The Home Office has previously refused to grant the powers needed to make the facility legal.
Hear all the latest news from across the North of Scotland on MFR. Listen on FM, via our Rayo app, DAB, or smart speaker.