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Recovery now focus of drug policy |
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Thursday, 29 May 2008 |
Scotland’s first national drugs strategy since devolution will see the recovery of those with drug misuse problems placed at the heart of the Government’s plan for dealing with the issue.
Launching the strategy today, Minister for Community Safety Fergus Ewing outlined a series of policies the Government believes will help people with misuse issues recover from their addictions.
Ewing said:
“For two decades Scotland has been in the grip of drugs - reacting and responding to the impact they have had on our people, our public services, and our economic potential. Too many souls lost on a road to perdition. This strategy is about taking control of our lives again - as individuals and as a nation. A hard road. A long road. A road to recovery. Many people with problem drug use are motivated and determined to recover - we want them to have the best chance to do so. Person-centred care, whereby users can access the kind of treatment they need, will help deal with the addiction so that they can develop a healthy and meaningful life, earn a wage, and adhere to the law of the land.
“The current approach has highly-committed professional people behind it. While we will not second-guess clinicians, helping people with drug problems move on after getting into treatment will be a priority for the future. We will achieve this by reforming how drugs services are planned, commissioned and delivered. We are working with partners to ensure that services deliver recovery outcomes within the context of new Single Outcome Agreements and NHS Accountability arrangements.”
While welcoming the spirit of the Government’s new approach, Conservative leader Annabel Goldie questioned some of the detail of the strategy.
Goldie said:
“What is the new National Support capacity? Will the new education programme be based on abstinence rather than the harm reduction approach which has clearly failed? The Minister seems to imply when he spoke of early intervention the prospect of more children being taken into care even earlier, is this what he intends? In dealing with drug dealers will the Scottish Government look to changing the Proceeds of Crime (Scotland) Act to put the onus of proof on the criminals to prove their assets are not illegally gained.
“Will the Minister look towards extended DTTOs to all Scottish courts and also the Children’s reporter? And finally in prisons will there be an environment so that those who want to come off drugs can be removed from the availability and temptation of drugs and if they stay clean will they be given privileges? Will there be sufficient consequences for those who supply drugs to prisoners either within or outside the prison? Prison must be a drug free environment if we are to have any hope of winning this war.”
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 29 May 2008 )
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