Party bosses formally accept that drug addiction should be a health issue instead of a criminal one.
By Mark McGivern 16 OCT 2020
Needles strewn on the ground (Image: Tony Nicoletti Daily Record)
Scottish Labour has adopted the decriminalisation of drugs as official policy.
The moves by the party came after the Daily Record’s campaign to treat drug addiction as a health issue rather than a criminal one.
Since our bold front page declaration in July last year, the SNP voted at its party conference to adopt a similar stance.
Scottish Labour’s slow pace of reform frustrated senior MSPs like health spokesperson Monica Lennon and Neil Findlay, who have constantly argued for the party to adopt a strategy that treats addiction better and takes the best components from approaches in other nations.
Monica Lennon has made many passionate appeals for reform of UK drug laws
Daily Record has demanded action on drugs crisis - but things only get worse
The Daily Record has campaigned for the decriminalisation of drugs.
In May last year, Record journalist Mark McGivern joined MP Alison Thewliss in a walk around the side streets, alleys and wastelands between Glasgow’s Barras market and the Calton.
He also witnessed Peter Krykant’s efforts to reach out to heroin and cocaine users on the same streets in recent days.
Mark’s view echoes that of activists and politicians in progressive places he’s visited, like Barcelona and Lisbon, who believe it’s insanity to block facilities that help drug users at a time of huge crisis.
He said: "The drug scene tour in 2020 threw up images that would shock most people in Glasgow or anywhere else.
"After the Record’s story, a steady stream of journalists turned up from BBC to the Channel 4 to the BBC and various international media.
"They’d all come to see the terrible drug devastation for themselves in the world’s worst nation for drug deaths.
"But the outrage hasn’t resulted in any significant changes.
"The Scottish Government continues to throw miserly sums at drugs initiatives, with none of the promised radical responses either emerging or being acted on.
"And the deaths are soaring, possibly faster than ever, although our ongoing toxicology shambles means we can’t say until December this year what was happening in 2019.
"A generation of drug users continue to mix their methadone scripts with the heroin it’s meant to replace.
"There is barely a user to be found that doesn’t top up with the “street Valium” that kills the benefit of the therapy - and brings death in ever increasing numbers.
"The Scottish Government seems incapable of doing anything about it.
"Drug Consumption Rooms won’t solve Scotland’s drug deaths crisis.
"But blocking them underlines that the UK Government don’t really care that much."
Scottish Labour has adopted the decriminalisation of drugs as official policy.
The moves by the party came after the Daily Record’s campaign to treat drug addiction as a health issue rather than a criminal one.
Since our bold front page declaration in July last year, the SNP voted at its party conference to adopt a similar stance.
Scottish Labour’s slow pace of reform frustrated senior MSPs like health spokesperson Monica Lennon and Neil Findlay, who have constantly argued for the party to adopt a strategy that treats addiction better and takes the best components from approaches in other nations.
Monica Lennon has made many passionate appeals for reform of UK drug laws
Daily Record has demanded action on drugs crisis - but things only get worse
The Daily Record has campaigned for the decriminalisation of drugs.
In May last year, Record journalist Mark McGivern joined MP Alison Thewliss in a walk around the side streets, alleys and wastelands between Glasgow’s Barras market and the Calton.
He also witnessed Peter Krykant’s efforts to reach out to heroin and cocaine users on the same streets in recent days.
Mark’s view echoes that of activists and politicians in progressive places he’s visited, like Barcelona and Lisbon, who believe it’s insanity to block facilities that help drug users at a time of huge crisis.
He said: "The drug scene tour in 2020 threw up images that would shock most people in Glasgow or anywhere else.
"After the Record’s story, a steady stream of journalists turned up from BBC to the Channel 4 to the BBC and various international media.
"They’d all come to see the terrible drug devastation for themselves in the world’s worst nation for drug deaths.
"But the outrage hasn’t resulted in any significant changes.
"The Scottish Government continues to throw miserly sums at drugs initiatives, with none of the promised radical responses either emerging or being acted on.
"And the deaths are soaring, possibly faster than ever, although our ongoing toxicology shambles means we can’t say until December this year what was happening in 2019.
"A generation of drug users continue to mix their methadone scripts with the heroin it’s meant to replace.
"There is barely a user to be found that doesn’t top up with the “street Valium” that kills the benefit of the therapy - and brings death in ever increasing numbers.
"The Scottish Government seems incapable of doing anything about it.
"Drug Consumption Rooms won’t solve Scotland’s drug deaths crisis.
"But blocking them underlines that the UK Government don’t really care that much."
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