The Scottish Conservatives have called for a ministerial statement this Tuesday on Scotland’s drug death crisis.
The Scottish Parliament will be recalled on Tuesday for a Covid update from the First Minister.
The party have been calling for the SNP Government to back their Right to Recovery Bill proposal after the latest statistics indicated drug deaths in Scotland have increased for the seventh year in a row.
The Bill proposal has been backed by seven frontline recovery organisations.
Scottish Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health, Annie Wells MSP, said: “We have called for a ministerial statement because, despite the latest heartbreaking drug statistics, the SNP Government have offered no extra support, no new ideas, no new solutions to this crisis.
“On the day that drug deaths tragically increased for the seventh year in a row, SNP minister Angela Constance joined us at a memorial in Glasgow and somehow thought that people wanted to hear her speak about a Deacon Blue song.
“The SNP are out of touch with the needs of people on the frontline of this crisis. People in our communities don’t need more warm words and empty platitudes, they need action.
“On Tuesday, we hope the government will have the decency to explain why they are stalling on backing our Right to Recovery Bill proposal, which would guarantee everyone who needs addiction treatment can get it.”
Notes
The Right to Recovery Bill proposal is here: https://www.scottishconservatives.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Right-to-Recovery.pdf