SNP MP Alison Thewliss will lead a debate at the SNP conference today, calling on the UK Government to overhaul its “flawed” drugs legislation, end its “roadblock” approach, and tackle drug deaths in Scotland.
The MP for Glasgow Central will urge party members to back the motion that calls for immediate exemptions to legislation to allow for treatment interventions – such as drug consumption rooms – urgent reform of the 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act, and for legislation over drugs is devolved to the Scottish Parliament.
Thewliss has long campaigned for Supervised Drug Consumption Facilities (SDCF) in Glasgow to tackle the public health crisis – which has been backed by cross-party MPs in Westminster and a majority of MSPs in Holyrood. However the calls for the facility have been rejected by the Home Office. Last year there were 1187 drug related deaths in Scotland.
READ MORE: SNP hit out at Home Office for refusing to join drugs summit
She said: “Further deaths could be avoided if the UK Government stopped sitting on its hands. It’s clear that the UK Government’s flawed and outdated drugs legislation is failing. It’s failing those who have an addiction, it’s failing the families who have lost loved ones, and it’s failing our health and social care services.
She claimed the UK Government was acting as a “roadblock and called for powers to be devolved to Scotland, adding: “We can no longer sit idly by as people’s lives are lost and loved ones are left to pick up the pieces.”
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