JOE FitzPatrick has resigned as Public Health Minister after facing mounting pressure over Scotland's drugs death crisis.
Here's his full statement on the issue:
I spoke with the First Minster today and agreed that I should leave government.
It has been the privilege of my life to serve in the Scottish Government and, during that time, the most heart-breaking and difficult problems I have faced as Public Health Minister is the harms and deaths caused by drug use.
I have worked with families who have felt the burden and weight of grief from drug use. I want to thank them for their candour and the amazing efforts they make to try and make our country better and safer for all.
READ MORE: Joe FitzPatrick resigns as Public Health Minister over drugs death crisis
As the minister responsible for this area I, ultimately, take my responsibility. It is clear that my presence as a minister will become a distraction, when we should be focused on achieving the change we need to save lives.
There is nothing I can express that will ease the loss that so many families have felt due to a death from drugs use. I can only say how sorry I am for their loss, and that hearing the experiences of the families and the recovery communities will never leave me.
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