DOCTORS have said that serious consideration should be given to decriminalising drug use, in order to help tackle the “national emergency” of drug-related deaths in Scotland. It comes after 1,264 drug-related deaths were recorded in Scotland in 2019, a rise of 6% on 2018 when 1,187 drug related deaths were recorded, according to National Records of Scotland (NRS) data. The 2019 rate for deaths which involved substance use in Scotland was higher than in any other EU country, and more than three times the UK as a whole. The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh also recommends the introduction of a drugs consumption room and a heroin-assisted treatment programme in all major centres in Scotland.
Doctors say serious consideration should be given to decriminalising drugs
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Doctors say serious consideration should be given to decriminalising drugs
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Naloxone can reduce the risk of death from an opiate overdose AN anti-overdose drug will be given to high-risk drug users in take-home kits as part of a Scottish Government scheme, it has emerged. In 2019, the Scottish Ambulance Service was called to around 5000 incidents where Naloxone was administered. The treatment can reduce the risk of death from an opiate overdose. The kits will be supplied after a 999 call for an accidental overdose and can be given to the victim or to a friend or family member who may witness a future overdose. The scheme, funded by the drug deaths taskforce, comes as Scotland reported its worst drug deaths figures on record in 2019.