Drugs

An inquiry has been launched by Holyrood's Criminal Justice Committee into tackling harms caused by substance misuse in Scottish prisons. The inquiry is split into three parts and will consider the impact of substances, including drugs and alcohol, in Scotland’s prisons. The first part will lo

Suspected drug deaths fell by 11 per cent last year, new figures from Police Scotland show. The single force recorded 1,065 suspected drug deaths throughout the year, 132 fewer than in 2023.

Charity Crimestoppers Scotland has launched a campaign to help tackle the increase in synthetic opioid drug importation, manufacture and violence associated with the trade. Synthetic opioids are man-made drugs that mimic the effects of natural opioids (such as opium or heroin) but can be much more d

The scheduled execution tomorrow of a Malaysian man for drug trafficking offences is a source of great alarm, Amnesty International has said. Pannir Selvam Pranthaman, 37, was convicted of importing 51g of heroin into Singapore, where he was sentenced to the mandatory death penalty in 2017.

An expert in substance use from the University of Stirling is calling for a change in legislation around drug use in the UK. The call from Catriona Matheson, professor in substance use, comes as she prepares to give evidence at an inquiry into the country’s pilot Safer Drug Consumption Facilit

A cultural change and “brave and bold action” are required to tackle a “public health emergency” created by drug use in Scotland, according to a report sent to MSPs by a people’s panel. The panellists’ report recognises that progress has been made, but says that f

The Commons' Scottish Affairs Committee has launched an inquiry examining the pilot Safer Drug Consumption Facility (SDCF) which opened yesterday in Glasgow. The facility, on Hunter Street, is the UK’s first official consumption room for illegal drugs. Known as The Thistle, the facility will e

It would not be in the public interest to prosecute people in possession of illegal drugs at a healthcare facility in Glasgow, Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC has said. Her comments come after a request for clarification on the law by the Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership and a facility

Criminal penalties for the possession, supply and production of ketamine are set to be increased in the UK following a government decision. Ketamine is currently controlled as a Class B substance under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, putting it on par with cannabis and amphetamines.

Ireland should decriminalise the possession of all illicit drugs for personal use and adopt a health-led approach to the use and misuse of substances, a committee of the Oireachtas, Ireland's parliament, has recommended. The joint committee on drugs use, which was established to examine and respond

The Scottish Parliament has announced the launch of a ‘people’s panel’ which will consider the question ‘What does Scotland need to do differently to reduce drug-related harms?’. The people’s panel, made up of 25 people from across Scotland who are broadly represe

A rise in steroid drugs found in Scottish prisons has been uncovered in a study led by the University of Dundee. Researchers at the University’s Leverhulme Research Centre of Forensic Science (LRCFS), part of the School of Science and Engineering, made the discovery while working in collaborat

A second residential rehabilitation service to support women and their children through recovery from addiction and substance use has been opened in Falkirk. The Scottish government has invested £5.5 million to support the development of this Aberlour Childcare Trust facility, as well as a hou

Health Secretary Neil Gray has said that the level of drug misuse deaths remains “hugely concerning”, as the latest statistics showed an increase of 121 deaths compared with 2022. Figures published by National Records of Scotland found that 1,172 people died due to drug misuse in 2023.

New initiatives to increase access to residential rehabilitation across Scotland which will be able to support more than 100 residential rehab placements have been introduced. Local Alcohol and Drug Partnerships (ADPs) that are experiencing high demand will be able to access extra funding from the n