Boris Johnson’s government should “do it’s bit” and allow for legislation that will permit drug consumption room to be set up in Scotland.
Tory Ministers came under sustained pressure to change the UK law to allow a pilot consumption room to be set up in Scotland.
At Scottish Questions in the Commons a series of SNP MPs called on Ministers to take action.
Joanna Cherry MP pressed Scotland Office Minister Ian Stewart to follow the example of Portugal, which has decriminalised safe consumption rooms.
Cherry said: “The Scottish Government has used its powers to commit to the public health solutions.
"The question for him is whether his government will use its reserved powers to amend the Misuse of Drugs Act and enable the measures that worked in Portugal, such as drug consumption rooms, to happen."
She added: "So that’s the question; the Scottish Government has done its bit, will his government do its bit?”
Stewart replied there were arguments for and against drug consumption rooms but told Cherry and other MPs that he would look at new evidence.
Mhairi Black, the SNP Scotland Office spokeswoman, took the financial implications of drug abuse.
She told Stewart: “Crimes linked to drugs in Scotland cost £750 million a year to investigate and prosecute. Experts tell us that money can be better spent.
"If the experts and the Scottish Government and even the Scottish Conservatives can now agree that health needs to be the main approach, why doesn’t he?”
When the Minister blanked her question an exasperated Black asked: “In what world do you get to claim to be taking our nation seriously whilst with the same breath commit to change absolutely nothing?”
To that Stewart snapped back that the SNP should focus on tackling social issues instead of “obsessing” over independence.
Stewart replied: “Perhaps they should spend a little bit more effort focusing on tackling some of these social issues rather than obsessing about independence, which no-one wants.”
