The Scottish Tories have issued a defiant snub to Boris Johnson by removing their opposition to drug consumption rooms.
Douglas Ross' party has opposed DCRs up until now, but they have changed their stance as Scotland faces up to shockingly high drug deaths.
Douglas Ross told STV news: “Scotland’s drug death crisis has claimed too many lives. It demands drastic action.
“We have reviewed the evidence from experts like FAVOR UK and, if the Scottish Parliament scrutinises a proposal for an overdose prevention facility pilot, we will approach it with an open mind.
“At the outset, we will not oppose the introduction of an overdose prevention centre in Scotland, and neither should the UK Government.
“But we continue to have serious reservations and practical concerns about drug consumption rooms. We agree with the chief constable of Police Scotland who said earlier this week that more evidence is needed.
“We also agree with the chief constable and frontline experts that drug consumption rooms are not a ‘silver bullet’. The primary problem remains that Scotland’s drug addiction and treatment system is broken.
“The Scottish Conservative Right to Recovery Bill, backed by seven frontline groups, would fix the flaws in the current system and guarantee everyone who needs treatment can get it. We urge the Scottish Government to put aside the politics and back the Bill.”
Angela Constance, the minister for drug policy, said: "I welcome this change in position from Douglas Ross, as we know from the evidence that safer drug consumption facilities can help save lives in Scotland."
The MSP said she hoped the UK Government would work with the Scottish Government to introduce the policy as quickly as possible, but added: "I note that Mr Ross states his view that the UK Government should not stand in the way of safe consumption rooms being piloted and I hope he will now join me in pressing them to allow us to move ahead with their introduction without hindrance.
"Meanwhile, the Lord Advocate has recently indicated a willingness to look at a fresh proposal for a safer drug consumption facility and we are actively exploring how we can overcome the existing legal barriers to allow us to progress this.
"We have been clear that these facilities are not a magic bullet, and alone will not be the answer to our tragically high numbers of drug deaths. That's why we continue to invest in the improvement of service and increasing the rehabilitation bed capacity in Scotland."
Successive UK Home Secretaries, including Priti Patel, have refused to consider calls to treat addiction as a public health issue rather than a criminal one.
Scotland has hit record highs in drug deaths in recent years, with the toll for last year standing at 1,339.
Deaths are also at a record level in the UK as a whole.
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