By Andrew Horne, Director of Addaction in Scotland

SCOTLAND’S drug strategy The Road to Recovery is 10 years old and a new plan will shortly be published by the government. Strategy documents rarely capture the public imagination but lives will be saved or lost based on whether we get it right.

It comes at an important moment. Scotland is facing a familiar but growing public health crisis. Last year 934 people died from drug related causes and alcohol deaths reached 1,120. I lead Scotland’s largest charity provider of drug and alcohol services. On behalf of the people we help, these are my five “tests” for the new plan.

1) Modernise services: Funding cuts had a significant impact on the quality of our services. I know from our own service that it is too often about “firefighting” and not enough about structured, person-centred therapy. We welcome the reinvestment of new resources and with it we need create innovative responses to reach more people. Last year we launched a web chat service. We’ve helped more than 10,000 people who otherwise might not have reached out. Our services focus on people with long-term complex problems (and that is essential) but we need to be there for everyone. That includes students, working mums, older people and busy professionals. Nobody decides to become a slave to drugs or alcohol. It’s usually a long journey and we need to help people earlier. Individuals often purchase their drugs online, it is only natural that they will also seek help online.

2) Intervene early: The new plan must include resources for young people and early intervention. Every day we meet young people at high risk due to alcohol or drug use. It’s a familiar story in other public services too, including schools. If we fail to intervene and help, we’ll see these young people in later life in our adult services.

3) Treat problems as a health issue: Criminalising people with drug and alcohol problems does not work. We welcomed the move by the Scottish Government to bring drugs and alcohol under a health agenda. We need to take the next step and stop criminalising people for health problems. I’m often reminded that drug laws are a reserved matter and thus there is nothing that we can do. This is not true. Scotland can make decisions about how we police, who we arrest and who we prosecute. We can follow the lead of Portugal and give people the help and support they need rather than punishment. Incidentally, in 2015 (last official figures), 49 people died in Portugal from drugs.

4) Tackle drug-related deaths: Drug and alcohol-related deaths are at historic levels. We need to pilot bold solutions to end a national scandal. This must include evidence-based responses like injecting rooms for opioid users, better replacement prescribing, and the reinstatement of specialist needle exchanges where people can access holistic help and support. We need to acknowledge that harm reduction is part of the recovery journey.

5) Recognise alcohol as a major problem: The Road for Recovery was a drug strategy yet services in Scotland work with people who have drug and alcohol problems. In our services, nearly 70 per cent present with alcohol problems. Alcohol is everywhere. It gets less attention than our drug problems but it is just as corrosive. Scotland’s awful relationship with alcohol is evident week in week out in our hospitals, police stations, prisons and social services. We need a proper response.

Scotland is a small country with some big problems. For too long we’ve accepted drug and alcohol problems as part of our society and culture. If we can look beyond these shores we will see brave people who have found creative solutions to their unique circumstances. It is time for us to be brave.

* Addaction has a free and confidential web chat service at www.addaction.org.uk