Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Jamie Gillies: Ending drug deaths in Scotland must be Humza Yousaf’s priority

Years of talking in the corridors of power has done little to end our drugs death shame.

A 2018 ceremony to mark International Overdose Awareness Day featured arrangements of empty shoes and crosses to mark drug deaths. Little has changed since then (Image: Kris Miller/DC Thomson)
A 2018 ceremony to mark International Overdose Awareness Day featured arrangements of empty shoes and crosses to mark drug deaths. Little has changed since then (Image: Kris Miller/DC Thomson)

It’s a seismic week for Scotland. After an intense, and at times ugly, leadership contest, we are getting used to our new first minister, Humza Yousaf.

After all the formalities, the new premier of Scottish politics now has to begin putting into practice what was pledged during the leadership campaign.

Over the past few weeks, the SNP candidates discussed a range of issues facing the country. Action to address the cost-of-living crisis and beleaguered NHS featured prominently in campaigns. The constitution, poverty, and social policy were also a focus. Not every seismic issue came up, though.

One that was sadly absent in debates was drug deaths. For many years now, Scotland has had the highest drug-related death rate in Europe. Data from the National Records of Scotland shows a meteoric rise in deaths since the late 1990s, with a peak of 1,339 in 2020.

In 2021, 1,330 people tragically lost their lives. A total of 1,092 suspected drug deaths occurred in 2022, with the final quarter showing a significant rise on previous months.

The SNP candidates were asked, very briefly, about this scandal in a radio interview on March 16. Each indicated their support, in principle, for a bill enshrining a “right to recovery” for people trapped in addiction – something seen as a potential solution.

Kate Forbes showed the clearest understanding of what’s required, stressing that “a legal right needs to be backed up with provision”. Forbes also showed contrition. “It shames all of us,” she said.

‘You keep talking, we keep dying’

Passing mention of an issue devastating families and communities across Scotland will have saddened those affected, and campaigners. During the leadership contest, far more airtime was dedicated to harassing Kate Forbes over her Christian beliefs than quizzing the candidates on how they’d end a national scandal that has haunted Scotland for years. I’m not sure this paints those asking the questions in a very good light.

In the past few years, campaigners have upped the ante, with large public demonstrations, and a powerful slogan: “You keep talking, we keep dying”. The message is clear: whilst politicians have pontificated at length on what’s needed, vulnerable Scots have continued to die in droves.

Minister for Drug Policy Angela Constance was criticised for failing to move the dial on drug deaths (Image: Jane Barlow/PA)

It seems that years of thinking and talking in the corridors of power hasn’t delivered the outcome that’s required, and that’s a serious problem.

The Scottish Government established a drug deaths taskforce in July 2019, to examine the causes of drug deaths and explore ways to save lives. In summer 2022, it published its final report, Changing Lives, which outlined 20 recommendations and 139 action points, to be delivered in the short, medium, and long term. The report states: “We have listened to people, explored the evidence and set out a strategic plan of action”.

This work of the drug deaths task force has been lauded within government. However, its reception among groups and individuals at the coalface of drug addiction recovery has been markedly different.

Sticking to failed approaches is costing lives

Annemarie Ward, a leading Scottish voice in the fight against drug deaths and CEO of charity Faces and Voices of Recovery UK, has accused the Scottish Government of continuing to “fail catastrophically”. In a statement this month, she said: “They keep listening to and investing in the same failing leadership, services and systems they always have and will not put in real accountability measures or targets that have consequences if not met”.

Annemarie and others who see people suffering and dying are angry. To them, bureaucracy, a dearth of accountability and a stubborn insistence on sticking to failed approaches is costing lives. Something has got to give.

I asked Annemarie what she thinks would break the deadlock when it comes to drug deaths, and she highlighted five things: more rehabilitation beds, ensuring the workforce includes more people in recovery, moving services out of the NHS and social work into the third sector, significant funding for truly holistic support that keeps people free from substances, and help to heal people from trauma. These ideas, drawn from years of experience, should be heard.

The tasks facing the new first minister are huge, and there are many. Ending Scotland’s drug deaths shame must be a top priority.

Humza Yousaf said he has a desire to tackle poverty during his campaign. Addiction and poverty are interlinked. I hope his pledge to be a champion for the marginalised in society will not ring hollow in years to come.


Jamie Gillies is a campaigner and commentator based in the north-east of Scotland

Conversation