Scottish Labour has adopted the decriminalisation of drugs as official policy.
The moves by the party came after the Daily Record’s campaign to treat drug addiction as a health issue rather than a criminal one.
Since our bold front page declaration in July last year, the SNP voted at its party conference to adopt a similar stance.
Scottish Labour’s slow pace of reform frustrated senior MSPs like health spokesperson Monica Lennon and Neil Findlay, who have constantly argued for the party to adopt a strategy that treats addiction better and takes the best components from approaches in other nations.
The party’s Scottish Policy Forum agreed to make the big step forward after discussions and it will now be incorporated into the Scottish labour’s manifesto for the next Scottish elections.
Lennon said: “Arresting addicts isn’t the answer to Scotland’s drug death crisis, so I’m proud that Scottish Labour supports decriminalisation.
“An urgent public health response to this devastating public health emergency is needed.
“There is widespread support in our party for policies that are evidence-based, progressive and modern, and our manifesto will reflect that.
“I believe this reflects the public mood in Scotland and the Daily Record should be commended for its long-running campaign to smash the stigma that blights the lives of drug users.
“The front pages of the Daily Record have helped to normalise the conversation, and let’s face it, any family could be turned upside down by substance misuse.
“By giving people a platform to tell their own stories, the Daily Record has shown that treating people with humanity and dignity is not only the right thing to do, but it is also more effective than talking them down.
“Stigmatising language like ‘junkie’ and ‘shooting galleries’ should have no place in a modern, progressive Scotland.”
Lennon said UK laws are ill equipped to deal with the scourge of drugs in 2020.
She said: “As for the Misuse of Drugs Act, it is almost fifty years old and ripe for reform. However, we can’t trust the UK Government to act. Boris Johnson’s Cabinet has already dismissed the recommendations of Scottish MPs on the Scottish Affairs Committee.
“Drug addiction is a public health issue and the powers to tackle this should be devolved to the Scottish Parliament.
“Whilst the Scottish Tories are alone at Holyrood in opposing safe consumption rooms and decriminalisation, all opposition parties agree that SNP Ministers are not doing enough to use the powers and resources they already have.”
Lennon said harm reduction treatments like controversial methadone should be complemented with rehab, which has suffered through a funding block.
She said: “Thousands of Scots are dying from preventable drug overdoses because access to treatment and rehabilitation just isn’t available to them.
“The chronic underfunding of drug and alcohol services by the Scottish Government is a disgrace. This was a wrong choice made by the SNP and drug deaths have soared as a result.
“Healthcare staff in Scotland could be granted immunity by the Lord Advocate to work in safe consumption rooms, but his reaction has been timid and conservative.
“Scottish Labour wants to see both governments and our public authorities working together, but the pace of change has been shamefully slow and drug deaths continue to soar.
“The campaign for urgent action must continue because the body count is tragically increasing, and that should shame all political leaders across Scotland and the UK.”
The Labour Campaign for Drug Policy Reform recently called on leader Keir Starmer to get on board with their call to treat drug addiction as a health issue.
SNP party members unanimously backed the proposal to treat drug addiction as a health issue instead of a criminal one at party conference last year.
Last year, 1187 people died from drugs in Scotland, one of the worst rates per head of population of any country in the developed world.
The UK government has virtually ignored recommendations by its Scottish Affairs Committee and the Health and Social care Committee, which both demanded an overhaul of our failing drugs policies in line with more progressive countries.
