The number of people who have lost their lives to drugs under the SNP Government will officially pass 10,000 this week.
The Scottish Conservatives highlighted the “grim milestone” and warned that unless the SNP agree to demands for a Right to Recovery Bill, the drug death crisis will continue to spiral.
The Right to Recovery Bill proposal, backed and developed with frontline experts, would enshrine in law that everyone can access the treatment they need, including a residential rehabilitation place.
The SNP Government cut the number of rehab beds and funding for rehab services in Scotland several years ago. Drug deaths have increased every year since and Scotland’s drug death rate is now the worst in Europe.
At First Minister’s Questions in June, Douglas Ross highlighted that despite the SNP claiming to be acting to tackle the crisis, people are still being denied access to treatment, in some cases for years.
The charity FAVOR Scotland have been instrumental in developing the Right to Recovery Bill. FAVOR CEO Annemarie Ward recently warned that “the situation on the ground is getting worse” and “drug death numbers undoubtedly will rise.”
Scottish Conservative Shadow Minister for Drugs Policy, Sue Webber MSP, said: “This week, drug deaths under the SNP will pass 10,000 people. Behind every one of those deaths is a broken family grieving the loss of a loved one.
“The government should be ashamed of this grim milestone, as should all of us. The drug death crisis affects every generation of Scots and people all over the country.
“But the lack of bold action in response is galling. The government have introduced new standards that are meaningless unless they are enforceable and enshrined in law. Campaigners are clear that without teeth, they will achieve very little.
“The Right to Recovery Bill is backed by frontline experts. It has been developed with people on the ground, who witness every day the SNP’s broken system. It will not solve the crisis overnight but it will ensure everyone gets the treatment they need, which is the minimum we should expect.
“We have seen during the pandemic that laws can be passed swiftly, in just a few days, to tackle a health crisis. So why are the SNP Government dragging their feet on a key solution to tackling the drug death crisis?”
Notes
The Right to Recovery Bill proposal is here: https://www.scottishconservatives.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Right-to-Recovery.pdf
Stats are here:
2007 – 455
2008 – 574
2009 – 545
2010 – 485
2011 – 584
2012 – 581
2013 – 527
2014 – 614
2015 – 706
2016 – 868
2017 – 934
2018 – 1187
2019 – 1264
Total before 2020 – 9324
2020 - ???
Source: p.55, https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/files//statistics/drug-related-deaths/2019/drug-related-deaths-19-pub.pdf