7 Jul 2020
The Scottish Conservatives have condemned the latest reported rise in Scots dying from drugs as a ‘national scandal’.
According to a report in the media, the drug death rate in Scotland has risen during the coronavirus lockdown.
The report states that the number of deaths since March is higher than the same period in 2019.
The Scottish Government set up the Drug Deaths Taskforce last July to combat the extremely high rate of people dying from drugs in Scotland.
While the report states the increase is ‘slight’ it is nowhere near the reduction in drug deaths that is expected or needed.
Annie Wells, Scottish Conservative deputy leader said;
“Last year the number of Scots dying from drugs was a tragedy, this is now a national scandal.
“It’s clear that the Drug Deaths Taskforce has not been able to turn this tide or make any meaningful impact on the number of people dying from drugs.
“The number of rehab beds has dropped by 282 on the SNP’s watch.
“The Scottish Conservatives have repeatedly called for these beds to be reinstated – the SNP government must listen because their approach is not working.
“The SNP government’s approach has failed – they must change course or even more Scots will needlessly die.”
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