The Minister for Community Safety yesterday kicked off the new 'The Road to Recovery' strategy by visiting Ayrshire for the first of a series of events on the new national drugs scheme.

Published on May 29th, Fergus Ewing is hoping to meet those who will be delivering the drugs strategy aimed at promoting recovery and cutting the estimated £2.6 billion drug misuse costs the Scottish economy each year.

Key measures outlined in the strategy include improving the quality and consistency of drug treatments across Scotland's prisons, a new approach to drug education, and strengthening existing powers to seize assets from drug dealers.

Discussing his visits, Ewing said: "I'm delighted to hear first hand from the professionals, voluntary groups and service users about their experience of tackling the various problems which drugs misuse poses for local communities."

"We want to change not just the delivery of drug support services but the very culture that underpins them.

"We will challenge any culture of fatalism that recovery from drug addiction is impossible. And we will continue to challenge the culture of arrogance within organised crime that they and their assets are beyond the arm of the law.

"The strategy marks a new phase in tackling drug misuse and places recovery at its heart. Beyond simply reducing risk and harm, services should support people to move on, towards a drug-free life, as active and contributing members of society."

COSLA's health and wellbeing spokesperson, Ronnie McColl, will be accompanying the Minister on a number of his visits.