Scotland’s drugs deaths crisis built up over decades but the solution can’t be left that long. Too many people have already lost their lives to substance abuse and too many families have been left picking up the pieces.
Access to rehabilitation and treatment services needs to be made easier. The Faces and Voices of Recovery charity has led the way in calling for politicians from across the parties to work together on this issue.
So when they issue a warning that some of those in Holyrood appear to be forgetting the scale of the drugs death crisis, they should be listened to. The charity warns that access to addiction help still too often depends on where in the country you live.
It worries that the system is as broken today as it was one year ago. It was this time last year that Nicola Sturgeon paid a visit to the Bluevale community centre in the east end of Glasgow.
The First Minister used the visit to announce more funding for the centre as well as listening to the experiences of locals. There is no doubting Nicola Sturgeon’s sincerity when she says she wants to end the drugs deaths crisis.
But actions speak louder than words. Charities and support services need to see consistent proof that ministers are working every day on this issue.
Deaths from drugs was a public health crisis years before anyone had heard of covid. We need a similarly determined approach to end it.
Simple solution
People applying for Universal Credit generally have to wait five weeks before their first payment. The DWP offers upfront loans while applications are slowly being processed.
But the end result is many households relying on the lifeline benefit then have deductions made to their monthly payments as the loan is paid off. This convoluted system has already been branded a poverty tax by one Glasgow MP.
Chris Stephens argues the DWP should instead issue grants to first-time claimants, not loans. He’s right to question why the government persists in clawing back millions of pounds from those who need it most.
Anti-poverty campaigners point out that reducing the level of deductions would give an immediate financial boost to hard-pressed families. Payments could be processed quicker than the current five week waiting time.
If they cannot, the DWP should urgently consider offering grants to first time applicants instead of loans.
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