A new strategic plan for drugs and alcohol has been published. ‘Preventing Harm, Promoting Recovery’ is a joint initiative from the Scottish Government and COSLA that sets out a long-term approach to addressing alcohol and drug harms.
Kirsten Horsburgh, Chief Executive Officer at Scottish Drugs Forum, says:
It is very reassuring to see this new strategic plan make a clear and early commitment to delivering a response rooted in compassion, evidence and human rights – values that define our work at Scottish Drugs Forum but are too often missing from the wider rhetoric around substance use.
At a time when harm reduction appears to be under increasing pressure both in Scotland and internationally, we welcome the plan’s commitment to strengthening evidence-led approaches. As well as enhancing the national naloxone programme and supporting proposals for more safer drug consumption facilities, this includes a commitment to ‘exploring’ the provision of safer inhalation devices and safer inhalation spaces.
It is welcome that the plan acknowledges the need for these harm reduction approaches – but the time for exploration has passed. We need implementation. There is already strong international evidence for both safer inhalation devices and safer inhalation spaces. We know that they work, and we know how to deliver them responsibly. As crack cocaine use continues to rise, we must move with urgency to make them available now and prevent people suffering injuries, infections and wider health harms caused by unsafe, makeshift inhalation equipment.
At SDF, our work begins with a simple principle: people who use substances have the right to respect, health, safety, dignity and participation. We are hugely supportive of the Charter of Rights for People Affected by Substance Use, and we are pleased to see its clear influence reflected in the strategic plan.
An important element of the new plan is the decision to bring together drug and alcohol policy. We hope this integrated approach will lead to a greater focus on alcohol-specific harm reduction, including wider access to brief interventions, peer and community-based support, managed alcohol approaches, and services that reduce immediate risk while improving health and stability for people experiencing alcohol-related harm.
Scotland’s drug and alcohol deaths crisis is an incredibly complex and deeply rooted public health challenge. Meaningful change will require time, commitment and consistency, so we welcome the plan’s 10-year approach. However, it is concerning that the budget for this work has not grown alongside its expanded remit, particularly given the scale of the challenge. We recognise the significant financial pressures facing the public sector, but long-term, secure investment in support and services will be essential to enable effective planning, innovation and sustained progress.
Overall, ‘Preventing Harm, Promoting Recovery’ reflects many of the priorities outlined in our manifesto. It is encouraging to see such alignment with our approach, but this should not be mistaken for SDF simply echoing government policy. For the past four decades we have been helping shape the conversation on drugs policy in Scotland.
We are proud of the role we play in contributing to constructive challenge and informed debate on government strategy to ensure the development and delivery of compassionate, evidence-based and rights-led policy. And we will continue working with communities, services and policymakers to ensure the ambitions set out in this new strategic plan are realised in practice – so that, together, we can build a Scotland free from drug-related health and social harm.