Drug deaths up over 20% in one year...in Scotland

What is your source for the information that drug deaths in Scotland are up 20% in one year, please, paddyann?

The issue of decriminalisation has been live for over 45 years, probably longer.
In England, there was a period in the late 70's when heroin was prescribed to help addicts come off the drug, with greater success than alternative treatments.

It's fairly clear the problem leading to the high death rate in Scotland is linked to the Trainspotting generation. It's also obvious to any of us that drugs are an increasing problem across the UK so looking for local solutions makes less sense than national ones. In an interview on channel 4 news last night, one of the Conservative politicians in Scotland rejected the Portuguese approach because 'we don't have as many resources'. No we don't because the austerity approach has closed drug treatment services, reduced the police numbers and devastated other public services that used to support drug users.

I'd support decriminalisation, taking the business away from criminal gangs. Prescribe and properly support people trying to give up drugs/alcohol.
Davidhs - nonsense to suggest 'schools' are to blame and that if they educated children about the benefits of employment 'immigrants' wouldn't come and do the jobs.
We have a major problem in the Uk with substance misuse. It's partly cultural, remember those Hogarth cartoons of Gin Alley? Now its strong alcohol and drugs instead of Gin. Look at the way so many get drunk at airports before going on holidays, where they get drunk every day. I enjoy a drink along with the next person, but so many Brits seem to need to get off their heads and see it as socially acceptable. You just don't see this level of public drunkenness along with anti social behaviour in other European countries.

Focusing on injecting centres as the panacea for all drug related issues (and conveniently pointing the finger at Westminster because they won't 'let' us have them) is far too simplistic. As others have said, there is far more to be done to prevent people taking drugs in the first place, to control the supply of them and to support addicts to give up - and that's all within the SG's control.

The big question is why so many turn to drugs and alcohol when young.

We read youth clubs are closing , nothing for youngsters to do. We didn’t depend on clubs paid for by the council, parents set them up.

According to Scottish government figures, the increase is 27% in the last year but drug related deaths have been increasing over quite a few years.

Most of the increase is in the 35-44 and 45-54 age groups.

Baggs This was widely reported and was one of the main items on the news.
Here is a link to the BBC report:
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-48938509https://]][[www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-48938509

The figure is up by 27% on last year.

X post

The item on the 10 pm news (BBC) was very interesting, in as much as they pointed out that a large percentage of those who have died have multi drugs in their system, many are on the "methadone" program but then buy Valium on the streets along with heroin and crack.

Which means that the Methadone programs in Scotland are not working.

They also said that there are three generations of families now addicted to and openly taking drugs within the family homes.

callistemon, ??

I can see the argument for decriminalising drug use as in Portugal. However, is it not a fact that some drug use will cause mental health problems and increased psychotic behaviour and also can lead to increased cases of schizophrenia. Many will have read about the recent fatal stabbing on the train in Surrey, the assailant was a prolific drug user, often that seems to be the case in such incidents. I just wonder how those who would call for decriminalisation, and I can see many arguments for it, would balance that with the potential problems for the users themselves and the safety of the general public.

I completely agree with your last paragraph Iam regarding Brits getting off their faces on booze, particularly abroad, what an embarrassment they are. Apropos of some of the incidents on airlines recently, particularly on Ryan Air, wild horses wouldn't induce me to fly with them, it seems it's apparent that some of these people are well oiled when and before they board the aircraft, in which case I think they shouldn't be allowed on. It must cost the an airline a small fortune in landing charges when they have to make an unscheduled stop to off load troublesome passengers.

You just don't see this level of public drunkenness along with anti social behaviour in other European countries

We can't really compare the lifestyles in places like Spain and Greece etc with the UK though, where they have almost guaranteed sunshine in the summer and beyond and people are able to spend a lot of time doing things outside. Here in the NE (for example) we have very few days in the year where we can go to the beach and have a meal outside etc. Therefore when young people go abroad and are hit with wall to wall sunshine they get a little carried away and almost euphoric. I know this does not excuse drunken loutish behaviour at all but just trying to show how its difficult to compare lifestyles.

gillybob Totally agree with your post.

I have lived in a Mediterranean Country, and I can assure you there are plenty of local youngsters swigging beer etc., and being rowdy/loutish they just know the places to hide!!!

gilly and GG I'm sure you are both right, but it's certain stag and hen parties, not all, that seem to emanate from our isles, bad enough here, but worse somehow when they export really bad behaviour abroad.

Indeed there are plenty of youngsters from other European countries getting drunk when abroad and away from their parents.

I am not defending the “Hens and Stags”, it seems to be a “rite of passage” the Australian youngsters go to Bali, the Americans go to the Caribbean, the Swedes go wherever the booze is cheapest and because of the Internet and rolling news it becomes “normalised” for this age group.

Imagine being 20 years old. Its still early spring but the sun is shining and the temperature is hotting up. You leave work or college and head to the beach where all your mates are waiting. You swim, surf, play volleyball or whatever. You grab a quick bite to eat and maybe a few beers and then head home ready to do it all again tomorrow and the next day and the day after that...…………..

Now imagine you are a 20 year old from the NE of England. Its mid summer and we still haven't had a day without rain. But hurray you are off to Spain at the weekend for 2 weeks of wall to wall sunshine and fun, so much to do and so little time...…

How on earth can we compare the two lifestyles?

Going back to the original topic, the relatively new phenomenon, of "County Lines" is now a great worry, particularly as the recruits often niaevly forced into such a way of life are getting younger and younger. Recreational drug use can be quite prolific amongst the wealthy middle classes as well as those from a deprived backgrounds. I can see that decriminalising drug use might well rid us organised gangs, but I still think it would be a concern for society if sanctioned and sustained use produces more mental health problems, particularly where an innocent member of the public becomes a victim of a psychotic incident fuelled by drug use.

sp. niaevly naively

As I understand it, where drug use is decriminalised and addicts can get their hit from an official source the incidence of mental health problems is reduced because the addict is getting a known amount of a known drug. It would be as if we had the choice of taking aspirin bought from a chemist or making our own from the willow tree from which it was originally derived!

Also, users will have no need to contact with drug dealers so the temptation of stronger drugs is removed and the dealers go out of business. Users are more likely to be able to maintain a 'normal' lifestyle i.e. have jobs, a roof over their head etc if they're not spending all day searching out drugs. That all reduces the drug-related crime which can affect any of us.

Could it just be that Scotland must be such a depressing place to live for a variety of reasons, that, as others have suggested, a lot of people use drugs to temporarily escape the reality of their lives ?

I have only visited Scotland once as it is such a long journey for us, and my over-riding memory was the cold, the rain (and this was summer!) the midges, but most of all, how miserable everyone looked.

No. It's not that.

about 8 minutes in

That will tell you the reasons, straight from the horse's mouth. If you really are interested.

JenniferEccles. I once visited London. It was a very long journey for us. The traffic, the further south you got became increasingly unbearable. People we asked directions from were unfriendly and unhelpful, mostly foreign with little or no English. The streets were filthy, smelly and crowded, you could taste the pollution. It rained incessantly and everyone looked unhappy. Prices were astronomical, there were young people on the streets who looked to be in gangs and we passed a place where a young man had been stabbed to death recently. It made us wonder how anyone would choose to live there.
All true but I would never have considered writing a post like that. Can I assume you are being deliberately goady?