THE SNP have renewed calls for the UK Government to fulfil a pledge to attend a summit on Scotland’s drugs deaths – after a Tory MSP appealed to Boris Johnson to make the issue a priority.
Conservative Annie Wells has written to the Prime Minister asking him to come to Glasgow “as soon as possible”.
The UK Government announced in October it would bring experts together in Glasgow before Christmas to discuss the issue, but they were postponed due to the General Election on December 12.
Holyrood ministers are already working with Glasgow agencies to host a summit this year. SNP MPs at Westminster are also expected to demand powers over drugs laws are handed over to Edinburgh if the UK Government refuses to act to address Scotland’s drug crisis.
But the Scottish Government say Tory ministers have so far refused to accept invitations to the event.
The SNP’s Alison Thewliss said: “Scotland faces a public health emergency and now even a Tory MSP is calling on the UK Government to act. It’s clear that the current UK drugs laws are not working. We desperately need a fresh approach to tackle this issue head on, but Westminster politicians have so far stood in the way of progress.”
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The Glasgow MP has long called for Westminster to allow safe drug consumption facilities to be set up in her Glasgow constituency.
“The Tories have consistently displayed a shocking lack of empathy towards this emergency,” Thewliss added. “We don’t need any more platitudes from the Tory Government, we need action or we risk an even greater number of drug related deaths next year. Action to allow a medically supervised overdose prevention room in Glasgow must be an early priority of this Tory Government.
“The communities I represent have suffered the impact of problem drug use for far too long – the time for action is now. We need an urgent shift in the law to allow fresh and radical approaches to prevent deaths, and we need that work to begin immediately.
“The Prime Minister and the Home Secretary must now get out from behind their desks in Westminster, come to Glasgow and see why urgent action is needed. We cannot wait. If they continue to refuse to change tack, they must give the Scottish Parliament the green light to act instead.”
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