An additional £50 million will be allocated every year for the
next five years to improve and increase services for people
affected by drug addiction.
Talks have been taking place with people with lived experience, a
range of organisations and the Drug Deaths Taskforce following
the publication in December of statistics which showed that in
2019 there were 1,264 drug related deaths in Scotland.
In a statement to Parliament, the First Minister said a national
mission was needed to turn things around.
She outlined a number of areas where improvements will be made
and a further £5 million is being allocated in this financial
year to ensure work starts immediately. These actions include:
- substantially increasing the number of residential
rehabilitation beds across the country
- reducing stigma and increasing the number of people in
treatment for their addiction
- allocating funding directly to Alcohol and Drug Partnerships,
third sector and grassroots organisations to improve work in
communities
- widening the distribution of naloxone
- implementing new standards for medicine-assisted treatment to
ensure equitable services for all drug users
- reassessing how overdose prevention facilities might be
established despite legal barriers
The First Minister said:
“Anyone who ends up losing their life as a result of drug
addiction, is not just failed at the time of their death – in
most cases, they will have been failed repeatedly throughout
their whole life.
“I believe that if we have the will, we can and we will find the
ways to stop this happening.
“Doing so requires a national mission to end what is currently a
national disgrace.
“It is a reasonable criticism to say that this government should
have done more earlier, and I accept that.
“But I am determined that we will provide this national mission
with the leadership, focus, and resources that it needs.”
Background
Full statement
