Douglas Ross and Nicola Sturgeon have visited an innovative drug recovery group in Glasgow in a bid to find solutions to Scotland’s drugs-death crisis.
The Scottish Conservative leader and Nicola Sturgeon were shown around Bluevale Community Club in Haghill, which helps over 1,000 households every year through its sports, youth, elderly and community work.
The organisation’s founder, Kenny Trainer, and his team showed the leaders of Scotland’s two biggest political parties around the club and urged them to put their differences aside and work together to start saving lives.
Bluevale is seeking Scottish Government funding to maintain and expand the voluntary services it provides to tackle poverty and drug addiction.
Drug death rates in Scotland are by far the worst in Europe, and last year a new record of 1,339 people lost their lives to drugs.
Douglas Ross urged the First Minister to embrace the Scottish Conservatives’ Right to Recovery Bill which has the backing of numerous experts in the field of addiction.
It enshrines in law the right of everyone to access life-saving treatment, and views residential rehabilitation programmes as the way forward.
Douglas Ross said:
“Scotland’s drug death crisis is our national shame. It demands political leadership.
“Communities scarred by drugs need action, not more empty words. This visit must result in solutions, not more of the same.
“Frontline experts and families who have lost loved ones back our Right to Recovery Bill. We need the government to come onboard.
“Our Bill would cut through the broken treatment system and guarantee people can get the help they need. It would mean more support for frontline community projects like Bluevale, which have helped hundreds of people without any government funding.
“I want to directly appeal to Nicola Sturgeon – put the politics aside, back our Bill, and let’s finally give people in our communities hope that things will get better.”
Our Right to Recovery Bill would guarantee every person who needs treatment for drug addiction can get it.
We hope the government will now back our proposals and finally give people in our communities hope that things will get better 👇🏼 pic.twitter.com/BCwbo2KKrU
— Scottish Conservatives (@ScotTories) November 23, 2021
Read more about our Right to Recovery Bill.
