Press Release 9th October

MSP Welcomes Drug Review

Local MSP Duncan McNeil has welcomed the decision made by the Scottish Government to hold a review of its controversial methadone policy.

The review will be headed by Chief Medical Officer Sir Harry Burns and will also involve independent experts from the Scottish Drugs Strategy Delivery Commission.

Duncan McNeil said:

“I welcome the government’s decision to conduct a review of their strategy. This recognition that their policy isn’t working is long overdue”
“When we have a policy that was designed to reduce the number of drug related deaths and in we find that in fact the number of deaths has reached a 10 year peak then the government must go back to the drawing board”

“These figures may be the tip of the iceberg. We also need the government to analyse how many people have been treated for a drug overdose and who have subsequently been discharged from hospital. Furthermore we need the figures on the number of people who were being subscribed methadone at the time of their overdose”