DRUG deaths are Scotland’s national shame.

That is why I was appalled to discover this week – after a question by my MSP colleague Sue Webber – that the SNP withdrew almost £20 million worth of funding last year from services tackling drug and alcohol addiction and supporting those who need help the most.

This shocking and shameful action should be condemned by everyone on all sides who are remotely interested in solving Scotland’s drug deaths crisis.

As regular Glasgow Times readers will be aware, this is a subject very close to my heart. I am determined to find solutions to this crisis, to ensure that no more children have to go through the pain that I suffered in 2016.

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We have to look at a range of options. That is why I have supported calls to trial a safe drug consumption facility in Glasgow and called on the home secretary to give us the power to do so.

It is why I also support reforming the Misuse of Drugs Act and moving towards a health-based approach, rather than a criminal justice one.

That is why I feel so angry when this debate still attracts so much whataboutery and blatant misinformation.

I have not been afraid to call out my own party when I think they have got it wrong, but I don’t think others on the opposite side can say the same.

When I tweeted about the cuts last week, I was met with a barrage of abuse in my mentions. At my last time of looking, there were 71 responses to my post, all of which had failed to take any responsibility.

One of the main attacks from those opposed to me highlighting this was a graphic saying drug policy is reserved to Westminster.

Glasgow Times:

The Misuse of Drugs Act is indeed a reserved matter and you have already read my views on it.

But the powers over taking the right measures to stop people dying from drug and alcohol addiction lie squarely with the SNP government. It is Scottish Government ministers who have the necessary powers over drug and alcohol partnership funding, rehabilitation places and overall health spending.

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Yet, what have we seen from SNP ministers? They have slashed the number of treatment places available and now they’ve slashed the funding too.

Nicola Sturgeon admitted herself that she took her eye off the ball as drug deaths soared.

Whataboutery simply won’t cut it for the families grieving the loss of loved ones.

One of the best things the SNP’s new drugs minister Elena Whitham should do to show she’s serious about tackling this crisis is finally back the Scottish Conservatives’ Right to Addiction Recovery Bill which has cross-party support in Holyrood.

The bill was written in conjunction with frontline experts and those with lived experience.

The number of deaths from drugs in Scotland is still Europe’s highest and more than three times higher than the rest of the United Kingdom. The number of deaths fell by only nine overall to 1330 and actually increased in Glasgow.

More than 1200 Scots also lost their lives to alcohol in 2022, the highest number since 2008.

MSPs need to listen to recovery charity Favor and its chief executive Annemarie Ward and back the Right to Addiction Recovery Bill to guarantee a right to access treatment for all those who need it.

If they don’t, then Favor’s slogan becomes even more chilling for families across the country – you keep talking, we keep dying.