Right to Recovery

Scotland has the worst drug death rate in Europe, yet the SNP have failed to deliver the treatment and support people struggling with addiction need.

Too many individuals are left trapped in a cycle of drug dependency without a clear pathway to recovery.

The Scottish Conservatives would take a different approach.

Our Right to Recovery plan would enshrine in law a right to addiction treatment, expand access to rehabilitation, and refocus policy on helping people get off drugs and rebuild their lives.

Our plan to tackle the scourge of drugs and alcohol deaths

The Right to Recovery

Implementing our Right to Recovery Bill. Enshrine in law a right to treatment for addiction for anyone in Scotland who is addicted to either alcohol, or drugs or both, after the SNP shamefully voted it down.

Introducing a new mandatory reassessment after two years on methadone. Where methadone is not working for an individual in helping them get off drugs after two years, they should be comprehensively reassessed to determine whether other substances should be prescribed instead, enter residential rehabilitation for enhanced treatment, or be referred to other support services. The aim is to put them on a pathway to recovery, while the mandatory reassessment process would involve input from experts and those who know them best.

Leveraging the experience of community pharmacists. We would ensure community pharmacists can provide input on our mandatory reassessments, and are supported to provide early intervention and referrals to drug users.

Redirecting funding to rehabilitating and recovery

Defunding the Scottish Drugs Forum and spending the millions saved on rehabilitation. The Scottish Government has given the Scottish Drugs Forum over £4 million while drug deaths remain the worst in Europe. We would spend this money on recovery and rehabilitation rather than funding their lobbying campaigns against common-sense reforms like the Right to Recovery Bill.

Closing the Thistle and stopping the opening of more drug consumption rooms. Drug deaths continue to be at record highs, showing drug consumption rooms like the Thistle are not working while local residents suffer from increased anti-social behaviour and crime. We would close it, redirect the funding, and stop more from being opened.

Investing the money saved from closing the Thistle in rehabilitation, beds, and support services. Re-invest the £6.9 million saved by closing the Thistle in recovery, rehabilitation and support services, including increasing the number of residential rehabilitation beds to bring us in line with European levels which the SNP have failed to do.

Tackling alcohol harms

Scrapping Minimum Unit Pricing and targeting our efforts on improving alcohol addiction services. Unlike the SNP, we do not believe that taxing hard-working Scots more is the right approach and would scrap Minimum Unit Pricing. Alcohol related deaths have increased since it was first introduced while at the same time increasing costs for Scots. We would target our efforts instead on improving alcohol addiction services, and ensuring tougher enforcement against selling alcohol to minors.

Introducing alcohol tags and a pilot of drug monitoring patches. Alcohol tags have been used in England and Wales for years to successfully help offenders stay sober so we would roll them out here, and pilot the use of drug monitoring patches too.

A new approach to drug policy

Lobbying for a pilot two strikes approach to drug possession. While the control of drugs is a reserved policy, we would lobby to introduce a pilot “two strikes policy” where those caught with drugs intended for personal use for the first time in a designated area will benefit from being offered rehabilitation, treatment and support services. If they are caught again or refuse treatment the first time they will face criminal consequences.