Criminalising many drug users only makes matters worse and an alcohol or drug problem should be treated as a public health issue, with users offered housing, employment opportunities and support for their families, according to the Scottish Government's new strategy.

Rights, Respect and Recovery, the new drug and alcohol strategy, says it is increasingly clear that people whose alcohol and drug use is problematic are often also affected by poverty, inequality and other health challenges.

Public Health Minister Joe Fitzpatrick said the problems caused by drink and drugs, particularly Scotland's shockingly high rate of drug-related deaths, were preventable, but only by embracing new approaches for those affected. "This means they need to be supported rather than stigmatised," he said.

He added: "This means changes to policies in housing, education and justice, it says, as well as health and backing responses which may be controversial or unpopular, such as the introduction of supervised drug consumption facilities, but which are driven by a clear evidence base."

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Plans for a safe injecting facility for users of street drugs in Glasgow have been stalled by the reluctance of the UK Government to change the law to allow it. However the strategy backs this and plans for prescribing drug users in the city with heroin to help cut drug deaths:"There is strong evidence that heroin-assisted treatment is more effective at retaining people in treatment for whom other forms of opiate substitute therapy (OST) has not been effective, and as a result reduces rates of death," it explains.

Mr Fitzpatrick said an additional £20m would be invested in drug and alcohol treatment and prevention, on top of existing budgets: "Improving how we support people harmed by drugs and alcohol is one of the hardest and most complex problems we face. But I am clear that the ill-health and deaths caused by substance misuse are avoidable and we must do everything we can to prevent them."This means treating people and all their complex needs, not just the addiction, tackling the inequalities and traumas behind substance misuse, and intervening early to prevent people at risk."

But he said the money could not be used to reproduce old, failed responses. " We want to see innovative, evidence-based approaches, regardless of whether these make people uncomfortable. This money mustn’t just produce more of the same,” he added.

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he Scottish Government says an estimated 61,500 adults misuse opiates and/or benzodiazepines and about four per cent of the adult population have a possible alcohol problem.

The strategy was widely welcomed by agencies working to reduce harm caused by drugs and by those in the 'recovery' community who support those looking to quit drugs.

However the Scottish Conservatives claimed the drug and alcohol was a "tragic missed opportunity" and "dangerously complacent".

Andrew Horne, director of Scotland’s largest drug and alcohol charity Addaction, said it was a bold attempt to come to terms with an enormous task and had struck the right balance between harm reduction and recovery.

“The shift towards treating alcohol and drug problems as health and social care issues is very welcome. Nobody should be criminalised for health problems" he said. “We're pleased to see a desire to look again at drug consumption rooms and heroin prescribing. We need to be brave.

“We are realistic about the scale of the task ahead, particularly tackling the tragedy of drug and alcohol deaths across Scotland. We are confident this strategy will make a difference.

Read more: Almost 600 babies born addicted to drugs since 2015, figures suggest

David Liddell, chief executive of Scottish Drugs Forum, said: “We welcome the fact that reducing the number of preventable overdose deaths is the key focus of the strategy. In 2018, we are likely to see over 1000 Scots die from drug overdose deaths. This figure has doubled over the period of the last strategy. So reducing the level of preventable deaths has to be a priority."

He said the Norwegian government had had a remarkable impact on the number of overdose deaths by changing their attitude and fundamental beliefs. "We can be hopeful that the launch of this strategy is the beginning of similar changes in Scotland, " he said. “Only time will tell whether this is effective but the indicators of success or failure will be clear and stark and thousands of Scots’ lives depend on it.”

Mr Fitzpatrick said the Scottish Government would work with drug and alcohol organisations and others to produce an action plan based on the strategy by early next year.

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Miles Briggs, Scottish Conservative shadow health secretary said: “The SNP Government drugs strategy is a tragic missed opportunity to tackle the drugs crisis in our country. More than 1,000 people are likely to die from drug addiction next year. That is a scandal.

 “The SNP’s dangerous complacency means lives will continue to be destroyed, families will be wrecked and communities dominated by the increasing threat of illegal drugs.”