'Major cultural change' needed to tackle drug death crisis in Scotland, says taskforce
The Drugs Deaths Taskforce has published its final report after three years of work examining how to deal with Scotland's drugs deaths crisis.
Last updated 21st Jul 2022
A major cultural change is needed to reduce drug deaths in Scotland by reducing stigma and ending discrimination around addiction, a new report says.
The Drugs Deaths Taskforce has published its final report after three years of work examining how to deal with Scotland's drugs deaths crisis.
It makes 20 recommendations and calls for 139 specific actions to be taken by the Scottish and UK Governments as well as other organisations, saying the approach to drugs should move away from punishment towards care.
A number of changes in the law are recommended, including legislation at a UK level for safe drug consumption rooms to go ahead.
Three fatal overdoses every day
The taskforce's chairman is former chief constable David Strang.
Speaking ahead of the report's publication, he said: "Every day in Scotland three people die of a drug overdose and that is just a shocking statistic.
"Each death is a tragedy obviously for the individual, but for their loved ones, for their families, for their communities, and for the whole of Scotland."
In 2020, there were 1,339 drug-related deaths in Scotland, a rate far above the rest of the UK and higher than any European country.
Mr Strang said the report was a "message of hope", adding: "Addiction is not a crime. You can't punish people out of addiction."
While the report calls for changes in UK drugs law, he said he believed the issue was too urgent to wait for this to take place.
Mr Strang said: "We believe that safer drug consumption facilities can be implemented now under the current legislation.
"We've worked closely with the Crown Office, the Lord Advocate, in trying to look at how can safer drug consumption facilities be implemented under the current legislation."
Support, not punishment
Safe consumption facilities are not a "magic solution" to addiction, he said, but could help guide people into treatment.
Work on the first consumption rooms should begin soon, Mr Strang said, calling for an action plan from the Scottish Government within six months.
Other recommended legal changes include tightening equalities law to remove "any discriminatory separation between drug dependency and other health conditions."
The report says "significant cultural change" is needed to reduce stigma and discrimination, calling for more action to change attitudes.
Mr Strang said the taskforce considered the issue of drug decriminalisation but felt it would be a "distraction" from the main topics they wanted to cover.
He said: "I think what we feel is Scotland's not ready for that yet.
"It might be a journey that we go on but if you were to go down that road, there would need to be extensive consultation."
"Significant additional funding" is needed to tackle drugs deaths on top of what the Scottish Government has already pledged, the report says.
Mr Strang would not be drawn on a specific number for this, but said the issue of drugs deaths would outlast the current five-year term of the Scottish Parliament.