Scottish Government outlines proposals to reduce drug deaths

The Scottish Government has announced an additional £250 million in funding over the next five years, with the aim of improving and increasing services for people affected by drug addiction. The funding follows the publication in December 2020 of statistics which showed that, in 2019, there were 1,264 drug related deaths in Scotland.

The proposed actions include: 

• substantially increasing the number of residential rehabilitation beds across Scotland 
• reducing stigma and increasing the number of people in treatment for their addiction 
• allocating funding directly to alcohol and drug partnerships, third sector, and grassroots organisations to improve work in communities 
• widening the distribution of naloxone 
• implementing new standards for medicine-assisted treatment to ensure equitable services for all drug users 
• reassessing how overdose prevention facilities might be established, despite legal barriers

Source: Scottish Government, 20 January 2021