Scotland’s failed war on addiction

The Scottish government is fueling the drug crisis

Scotland’s drug deaths crisis reflects a moral abdication of responsibility by those charged with running Scottish society and finding solutions to the very real problems it faces, writes Carlton Brick.

Scotland is in the grip of a chronic drug addiction crisis. Drug deaths have increased substantially over the last 20 years, with almost five times as many deaths in 2020 compared to 2000. In 2020, 1,339 drug-related deaths were registered in Scotland: 5 per cent more than in 2019 and the largest number since records began in 1996. Scotland’s drug death rate is the highest in Europe and over three and a half times as large as the rest of the UK.

Methadone accounts for almost 50 per cent of all Scotland’s drug related deaths; a figure which has almost tripled since 2015. This is more than double the rate of the United States. Methadone is prescribed by doctors wanting to wean addicts off heroin and this comprises a key part of the Scottish government’s harm reduction strategy.

According to SNP government’s experts, stigma and social prejudice prevent adicts getting the help they need. Others point out that since 2007, the SNP has slashed addiction service budgets by 55 per cent. There is little doubt that Scotland is in the midst of a tragic addiction crisis. However, simply throwing more money at the problem is not a solution. Rather than being a resources problem, Scotland’s drug deaths crisis has become a moral problem.

In recent years, tensions have emerged between the governments of the UK and Scotland over how to view and deal with drugs. Unlike health, drug law is not a devolved issue. And whereas the UK government seemingly favours a criminal justice approach to dealing with drugs, the Scottish administration has opted for a public health centred approach. However, this apparent difference is not as clear cut as first presented. Both governments approach the problem largely through the purview of ‘harm reduction’. Yet in the case of Scotland, advocates steadfastly argue against the idea of abstinence and prohibition as appropriate approaches to drug treatment, with disastrous results.

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