Drug users will be able to call a new help line to talk with trained staff as part of a trial scheme to try and reduce the number of Scots dying from illegal substances.
The confidential service - which will not require people to disclose their names - will allow counsellors to speak candidly with addicts to ensure they remain safe.
The Never Use Alone phone line will be run by the charity We Are With You and is backed by £100,000 funding from the Scottish Government.
The service is the first of its kind in Europe and will initially be trialled in Glasgow and North and South Ayrshire.
These areas have been chosen so the system can be assessed in both urban and rural areas.
Never Use Alone - which can be contacted by dialling 0808 801 0690 - launches today and it's hoped the service will eventually be rolled out across Scotland.
Angela Constance, Scottish Government minister for drugs policy, encouraged people to use the new service.
She said: “I welcome this phone line which will undoubtedly play a part in tackling Scotland’s drug deaths crisis.
“Many of those people who have lost their life while using drugs were alone at the time and I encourage people to take advantage of this service – the first of its kind in Europe – to help them stay safe.
“While backing this service, we are also continuing to work to overcome existing legal barriers to implement safe consumption rooms in Scotland.”
Andrew Horne, executive director at We Are With You, said: “The scale of the problem we’re facing in Scotland demands urgent, radical action and we want to do everything we can to help tackle this crisis.
“This phone line is about keeping people safe . Our staff will ensure they are aware what substances an individual has taken and what they are intending to take.
"They will also find out exactly where they are in case the emergency services are required.
“We hope that we can provide people with the support they need at the time they call in but also that we can take the opportunity to encourage them to seek help from services which provide the support which is right for them in the longer term.”
The Record has led the campaign for the Scottish Government to get to grips with the drugs death crisis that has worsened in recent years.
People in Scotland are more likely to die from illegal substances than any other country in Western Europe.
SNP ministers decided in the summer to publish drug deaths figures every three months from now on instead of once a year.
It follows the significant public backlash the government has faced each time the annual statistics were published.
Official statistics show 722 people died from drugs in the first six months of 2021, which represents a decrease of just nine from the same period in 2020.
Over two-thirds (69%) of suspected drug deaths were of people aged between 35 and 54, while 72% of victims were male.
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