The Scottish Parliament is to be urged to put our shameful to the top of the political agenda this week.
On Thursday Holyrood will host a member’s business debate – called by Labour’s health spokeswoman Monica Lennon – to reinforce the need for Scotland to formally regard the drugs crisis as a national emergency.
Lennon will tell MSPs that the Scottish Government is not doing enough and that more cash needs to be made available to fund a range of strategies amid fears the number of deaths will grow yet again next year.
In conjunction with the Daily Record, Lennon will also host a round-table meeting with MSPs as well as families affected by drugs and workers on the front line who are operating in treatment projects.
Last year, 1187 people died from drugs, putting Scotland bottom of the heap of developed countries, including the US, which was battered by deadly opioid fentanyl.
Lennon said: “We must act with urgency to save lives and that is why I am calling on the Scottish Government to activate an emergency response.
“As a nation we are doing nowhere near enough.”
The Scottish Government has announced additional investment of £10million in each of the next two years to tackle drug harm.
A Scottish Drugs Taskforce will examine other countries’ responses and seek to establish how the law might be changed.
