Comment: Opposition for opposition's sake won't address ...

Comment: Opposition for opposition's sake won't address Scotland's drug-death emergency. Long lobbied for, and previously resisted, ... NewsCommentInsidePoliticsEditor'sColumnEventsPortfoliosLocalGovernmentEducationHealthJusticeGreenpagesBusiness&EconomyHolyroodbabyConnect More MagazineWhitePapersPodcastsDirectoryAbout byDaniGaravelli 11October2021 Readnext: byJosephAnderson Society&Welfare Maleviolence:challengingthe'mandateofmasculinity' Readnext: byAndrewLearmonth Society&Welfare Scottishchildpaymenttodoubleto£20aweekfromnextApril Readnext: byStaffreporter Society&Welfare ScottishParliamenttoholdminute'ssilenceforwomenkilledbymen Readnext: byLouiseWilson Society&Welfare DoubleScottishChildPayment,financesecretarytold Comment:Oppositionforopposition'ssakewon'taddressScotland'sdrug-deathemergency Longlobbiedfor,andpreviouslyresisted,thenewlordadvocate’sannouncementofashiftindrugspolicyfeltsuddenandseismic. Fromnowon,DorothyBainQCsaid,individualscaughtinpossessionofClassAdrugs,includingcocaineandheroin,couldbeissuedwithapolicecautionratherthanbeingreferredtoprosecutors.Justassignificantly,sherevealedanincreasingnumberofthosereferredtoprosecutorswerenowbeingdivertedintotreatmentandrehabilitationinsteadofgoingthroughthecourts. Foryears,theUKandScottishgovernmentshavebeeninastand-offoverwhoistoblameforthecountry’sepidemic.TheSNPhasinsisteditcouldnotpursuethepublichealth-ledapproachitfavouredwithoutchangestoreservedlegislation,whiletheConservativeshaveopposedmovessuchastheintroductionofsaferdrugconsumptionrooms.Astheytussled,thegrimtollrose.OurpercapitadrugdeathrateisnowthreeandahalftimeshigherthantherestoftheUK. Here,atlast,wasabreakintheimpasse;awillingnesstofollowtheinternationalevidence;totakecontrolofourdestinyandnotdefertoWestminster.Themovemarkedasymbolic–andhopefullyreal–shiftawayfromacriminaljusticeapproach.ItrepresentedanacceptancethattheWaronDrugswasachimera;thatthewaytobringdownthedeathrateisnottopunishusersbuttoencouragethemtoengageintreatmentservices. Predictably,theToriesdidnotseeitthatway.MurdoFrasercalledit“effectivedecriminalisation”whiletheparty’sjusticespokespersonJamieGreenesaidweshouldnotdilutehowseriouslywetreatpossessionofheroin,crystalmethandcrackcocaine.Itwasasifthedecades-longdiscourseondrugs–thetestimonyfromformerusers,theexperienceofcountrieslikePortugal,theresearchpresentedbycampaigners–hadpassedthemby. TheirstancewasalsoweirdlyatoddswithUKpartypolicy.Thetruthisthat,evenasBorisJohnsonhascontinuedtousehardlinerhetoric,hisgovernmenthassofteneditsposition. Indeed,ithaspouredmillionsintoProjectADDERwhichcombinestargetedandtougherpolicingwithenhancedtreatmentandrecoveryservices.Tougherpolicing–sofar,soTory.ButADDERactuallystandsforAddiction,Diversion,Disruption,EnforcementandRecovery.  ThatsecondD–diversion(notsoTory)–isalreadybeingpursuedbyseveralEnglishpoliceforces. IntheWestMidlands,thosecaughtinpossessionofClassAdrugsarenotroutinelyprosecuted.Instead,theyareofferedarouteintoservicesviaacharitycalledCranstoun.Ittakespoliceminutestosetuptheinitialassessmentmeeting,freeingthemupformoreurgentduties.Dependingonthenatureofthedruguse,theindividualwillthenbeofferedaneducationprogramme,treatmentorrehabilitation.  Atfirst,itwasfearedthevoluntarynatureoftheschemewouldleadtolowtake-up,butthereisan88percentengagementrate.TheWestMidlandsapproachacceptsrelapsesareapartofrecoverysoreoffenderscontinuetobeexemptfromprosecutionsolongastheyhavenotstoppedengaging. Durham’sschemeallowsdeferredprosecutionforoffenderswhosecrimesaredeemedtostemfromaddiction. Iftheycompletearehabilitationprogramme,theywalkawaywithoutacriminalconviction.Ifnot,theyareprosecutedinthetraditionalway. Theseinitiativesreducestigmaandrecognisethecomplextraumaattherootofaddiction.And,thelackofacriminalrecordmakesiteasierforuserstogainandkeepjobs. KitMalthouse,UKministerforcrimeandpolicing,isverymuchinfavourofADDER.Indeed,hehascriticisedtheSNPfornotembracingit. TheScottishConservativescan’thaveitbothways.Diversionschemesareeithergoodorbad.Theycan’tbeaboondownsouth,butacop-outhere.Itisalmostasiftheparty’sMSPsaren’tawareofwhat’shappeningnationally. Abetterlineofattackmighthavebeentopointoutthatdiversiononlyworksifthereareservicestodivertto.AndtheScottishGovernmenthasapoortrackrecordonthatfront.Overseveralyears,it“tookitseyeofftheball”,cuttingfundingandendingupwithfragmentedprovision. Thismuchweknow,anditshouldn’tbeforgotten.Butoppositionforopposition’ssakewon’tsavelives.Ifwhatwewantistohaltthetideofdeaths,wehavetomoveforward.Andwiththeappointmentofadedicateddrugsminister,AngelaConstance,thatdoesseemtobewhattheSNPisfinallydoing. Ofcourse,itistooearlytotellifitseffortswillmakeanimpact.ThenewMedicalAssistedTreatment(MAT)standards–whichincludesame-dayprescription–areusefulonlyiffullyimplemented.The£250mextrafundingoverfiveyears,announcedinJanuary,willtakesometimetofilterdown. Butthelordadvocate’sinterventionisastatementofintent.Andnewsthatthenumberofdiversionsofferedforsinglechargepossessioncaseshasrisenfrom57in2017-18to1,000in2020-21backsthisup.  Nomoreblame-game.Nomoreconstitutionalwrangling.Nomoresittingonourhandsandwaitingforindependence. Oneday,hopefully,theUKgovernmentwilldumptheoutdatedMisuseofDrugsAct1971.Butuntilthen,there’sotherworktobedone.ItwouldbegoodifallScottishpartiescouldrolltheirsleevesupandgetonwithit. 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