The Scottish Government has admitted they took their eye off the ball and are doing everything they can to kick with the right foot by giving the funding injection so desperately needed.

Where they will always be hamstrung, though, is the zero accountability in how this new money is spent and zero accountability for it continuing to fail. We have to admit that paying the same organisations and leaders who are failing so badly is throwing away good money. 

If this was the private or third sector, contracts would not be renewed, commissioners would retender elsewhere and people would lose their jobs. There are none of those consequences in Scotland’s addiction treatment system. Hence one of the most significant reasons we continue to see Scotland rank highest in the charts of the drug death capital of the world.

READ MORE: Drug deaths: SNP told to roll out new treatment standards 'as national priority'

The majority of Scotland’s treatment system sits within the NHS, ie medical solutions - of course, that’s what the NHS does. Addiction is a biopsychosocial condition. The NHS only helps with the bio part. In other parts of the UK, the third sector is commissioned to treat addiction with almost four times fewer deaths. Yes, that’s right same laws, same funding but a vastly different culture & approach of how to treat addiction.

In most cases, the Integration Joint Boards, responsible for spending within each of Scotland’s local authorities, spent the money on anything but rehab despite being directed to do so by the First Minister.

Local authorities acting with impunity like this has to be challenged & jobs have to go if this arrogance & unwillingness to change continues. There are small charitable organisations across Scotland, and large ones from other parts of the UK, who do addiction treatment much better. The statistics speak for themselves. England, for example, has almost four times fewer deaths than Scotland. Those organisations south of the border are not perfect by any means, and the whole sector has a long way to go before it admits and understands what it takes to initiate and sustain long-term recovery.    

Even if we were willing to radically overhaul Scotland's addiction treatment system, the only way I can see really see people getting the actual help they need is if we change the law. Currently, across the UK, no one has the right to addiction treatment.

READ MORE: Scottish Government told ‘talk is cheap’ as drug deaths rise to 1,339

In the last few months, people in long-term recovery wrote the Right to Recovery (Scotland) Bill Proposal. The general principles of this proposal are that a person seeking drug/alcohol treatment can quickly access their preferred treatment option unless a medical professional deems it harmful.

This new 225 million is at risk of failure and being ignored unless we can underpin people's rights in law.

Basically, you have the same leadership presiding over this catastrophic tragedy, who keep throwing the same failing "solutions" around over and over again. None of these turkeys are going to vote for Christmas. New leadership needs new solutions. Allowing people to be challenged and held to account where necessary – this new bill is about equality and justice for all.