On Scotland’s drug death crisis, from listening to frontline workers, users, those in recovery, & bereaved families:

Much of what we call the ‘Portugal model’ - progressive approach to treatment as opposed to criminality - can be done within existing powers of public health.

Experts say Drug Consumption Rooms would likely help reduce deaths & HIV spread, as they have done in every country that’s introduced them. But they’re also telling us (and telling the Scottish Gov) that having a place for users to go fixes only part of the problem in isolation.

Immediate benefits could come from giving additional resources to mental health support, rehab beds, bereavement counselling, and a more tailored approach to harm reduction. There are many in recovery who say we should rely less on long-term methadone for so many people.

A point I’ve heard so often now is how changes to prescription drugs like Valium has impacted the market for street drugs. Valium was handed out by GPs much more freely in the 90s and early 2000s, even to children. Suddenly the prescriptions stopped. The dependency didn’t.

People turned to ‘street Valiums’ - not real Valium, but cut with all sorts, varying in strength from pill to pill. They are, on average, £10 for 25 - about 40p a pop. But users will commonly take dozens all at once. I’m told withdrawal symptoms from these are horrendous.

Most of the deaths in Scotland involve a cocktail of drugs, but these fake Valiums are commonly found in toxicology reports. They react badly with other substances and/or alcohol, causing the body to just shut down.

Deadly, but so easy to find and cheaper than sweets (or booze)

There’s a lot of focus on Naloxone, which reverses the effects of an opiate overdose. It won’t bring you back from a Valium OD, though. Distributing Naloxone widely will, we are told, save lives, but again it’s just part of the problem Scotland is catching up with in 2020.

Scotland’s Drugs Task Force has already and will continue to deliver new ideas for beating this drugs crisis. But Scotland’s been trying to understand the drug problem for a long time. Remember ‘Scotland Against Drugs?’ The drugs market is evolving much faster than the response.