A Glasgow councillor whose parents battled heroin addiction is calling on politicians to back proposals allowing anyone with drug misuse problems access to rehabilitation schemes.
Conservative group councillor Thomas Kerr will present a motion to council later this week to ensure that those with addiction issues are able to access the necessary treatment they need.
The motion supports a draft bill recently lodged by Conservative MSP Douglas Ross.
Councillor Kerr said: “This is something that I am very passionate about. The fact that my own family struggled with addiction when I was growing up is very well known.
“We’ve been trying to find a solution to the problems we are facing in Scotland as we have the highest drug deaths in the whole of Europe.
“The Bill that Douglas Ross wrote is part of a solution to that and I think that Glasgow City Council has to play their role to ensure that we deal with this crisis.
“All that we are really asking is that other parties will get behind us when it comes to putting forward our recommendations to the Scottish Parliament on how we can tackle this crisis.”
The Bill, which is out for consultation, wants it put into law that everyone should have the right to rehab if they want to seek it.
Councillor Kerr’s motion also notes that the Bill would seek to prevent individuals seeking drug and alcohol treatment services being refused access for reasons including a medical history of substance misuse or a criminal history involving substance misuse.
He added: “I’m hoping we can find a consensus around this issue. People should have a right to recovery and rehabilitation if they want access to it.
“We need to show people that we take this seriously.”
In his motion Councillor Kerr asks that treatments include but are not limited to short-term residential rehabilitation, long-term residential rehabilitation, community-based rehabilitation, residential detoxification, community-based detoxification, stabilisation services, substitute prescribing services and any other forms of treatment a health professional may deem appropriate, in line with guidance from Scottish Ministers.
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