To finally end Scotland's drugs deaths, we need to plan now for 2036

Scotland’s terrible toll of drug related deaths returned to the news with the publication of a new report on Scotland’s drug harms.

The Social Market Foundation’s research showed that our deaths from drugs are “exceptionally high”, with a dreadful human cost.

The country is genuinely committed to taking on this devastating epidemic, both responding to the immediate crisis, and tackling the causes of drug use in Scotland.

The Scottish Government’s new national mission on drugs plan does more than put forward treatment as the only way out of Scotland’s relationship with drugs, and is thinking about the future. It makes pledges to youth and child development, targeted support in the most high-risk communities and a clear commitment to partnership working. These are all vital in building the infrastructure we need to tackle this harm.

The people at the sharp end of the drugs crisis need patience, long-term planning, and a concerted effort to look beyond the crisis and take action at the point where problems start.

When I talk about long-term planning, I mean more than just early intervention. I mean meaningful upstream prevention.

Imagine someone drowning in a river. We pull them out, of course.

But what if we find another five people drowning in the same place? It might be time to look upstream and see what is causing them all to fall in.

That’s the principle of upstream prevention.

And for the past five years, Planet Youth has been bringing upstream prevention to life in Scotland. In our six partner areas of Argyll & Bute, Angus, Clackmannanshire, Dundee, Highland and West Dunbartonshire, we have been developing community-led partnerships that respond to the needs of local children. This involves looking at the environments they are growing up in, building our understanding of the things in their lives that might put them more at risk of developing issues, such as alcohol or drug use, later in life, and, conversely, what might protect them.

To do that, we need to understand what is happening in the lives of our young people so communities can work together to make sure the environments that children are growing up in are helping children to thrive.

Our latest data shows, for example, that young people who found it easy to get support from their parents or carers were less likely to experience negative outcomes. Getting enough sleep was another key issue, as were regular out of school activities, such as sport, music, church, or volunteering. It also identifies how inequalities are intertwined. Girls, trans and non-binary pupils, neurodivergent pupils, care experienced young people, LGBTQI+ pupils and travellers continue face the most severe and consistent inequalities.

And the survey of 7,600 pupils in 40 schools suggests that those growing up in Planet Youth areas are safer, happier and healthier than they were five years ago.

We saw significant falls in smoking, vaping, drug use, and school absences, and gains in mental health and wellbeing.

It’s too early to say if Planet Youth is directly causing these changes, but it does give us robust data to track and understand the realities of these young people.

Hundreds of people die every year in Scotland because of drugs. For them, and their families’ sake, as well as the people to come, we need to stop reaching for the sticking plaster and commit to an upstream approach.

When someone dies from taking drugs, it is a terrible symptom of missed opportunities to step in earlier. This is more than a problem for drugs policy to solve alone. It requires commitment, engagement and collaboration from sectors that will ultimately benefit. Health, justice, education and business, working together on actions that will bear fruit in years to come.

This work is already happening, and I am positive about the direction Planet Youth and our partner areas are going in.

A national roll-out of a Planet Youth style prevention approach will let us join the dots and reshape our society for the long-term.

As the national election campaigns commence, patience and co-operation often go out of the window.

This is one area where we simply must work together to build the Scotland we all want in the future.

This article is sponsored by Winning Scotland (which runs the Planet Youth pilot in Scotland).

www.planetyouth.scot