OPPOSITION MSPs put further pressure on the Scottish government today over the continued rise in drug-related deaths with calls for radical solutions to tackle the deaths. 

Last week’s figures showed that 1,339 people died of drug-related deaths in 2020, a rise of 5 per cent year on year. 

Areas such as Glasgow, Inverclyde and Dundee are particularly affected, with the number across Scotland rising again last year throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a statement to Holyrood today, Drugs Policy Minister Angela Constance pledged to do everything possible to turn the tide.

But Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said the government’s rhetoric and funding on tackling drug deaths needs to be backed by action, calling for the SNP government to recognise that the drug death numbers are not just Scotland’s shame but the party’s. 

He said: “While, yes, we do need to look at the drug laws, that can’t be a cover for this government’s failure. This must be declared a public health emergency.”

Ms Constance said it was more important than ever to put lived experience at the heart of policy, and said last week’s statistics were a stark reminder of the effect social issues can have on Scotland’s poorest communities. 

She underlined the importance of bringing a public health approach to the issue, reiterated a commitment to giving regular updates to Parliament, and said some progress is being made, with quarterly reporting to be implemented to monitor the number of deaths. 

Green MSP Gillian Mackay reiterated her own calls for an investigation into the proposed use of safe-consumption rooms across Scotland, which the minister said the government was committed to.