THE Scottish Lord Advocate, Dorothy Bain, has decided that people carrying Class A drugs in Scotland will now not face immediate prosecution, but instead could be issued with a warning by the police. This new approach of “diversion from prosecution” in appropriate cases should, in the long term, help to reduce the number of offenders ending up in court and filling our prisons for possession of small amounts of all illicit drugs, for their own personal use only.
Those found with small amounts of Class B and C drugs are already being given warnings and offered police advice on how to seek help if they are vulnerable to addictions. These Recorded Police Warnings (RPWs) will remain on a person’s record for two years, for the consideration of the police and prosecutors.
This welcome and sudden change of tack by the Scottish Government is seen as another small but positive part of their plans to address our horrendous drugs deaths.
Within hours our right-wing papers and the Scottish Conservatives were crying foul, with lurid headlines along with Murdo Fraser MSP stating that it is “effective decriminalisation of drug possession and use in Scotland.” This of course is utter nonsense, as those found with enough drugs to be clearly for dealing will still face the full power of the law.
What has really upset the Scottish Conservatives is that they have missed their chance to make a positive contribution to the efforts to cut our drug deaths by persuading their political masters in Westminster to amend or devolve drug laws to the Scottish Parliament, so it can introduce more innovative ways of solving our drugs problems.
Sadly, the Scottish Conservatives approach to the illicit drugs problem is always to rubbish anything that the SNP suggest, without offering any creative, affordable and positive solutions. The Conservatives are also miffed that the SNP have outwitted them by finding a way to creatively use the legal powers they still have to try to make it possible for some of our drug misusers stop and think about what they are doing to their health, and follow up some of the rehabilitation and treatment offers that are currently available and being planned for.
If this new approach is successful then in time, the imprisonment of minor drug offenders should be reduced, releasing public funding to deliver better treatment services.
Our police are already engaged on a daily basis with many hundreds of drug users, too often in a negative way.
The police’s use of RPWs can only be enhanced, in the minds of drug users, by the their role being seen as part of the solution, not just about routes to incarceration. I would suggest that efforts should be made to produce drugs education materials that are suitable for both young people and adults who the police are involved with in administering RPWs.
Max Cruickshank
Glasgow
I JUST wanted to say I am glad the Union is now safe because we have UK stickers – that will tell Europe we mean business (Scots drivers must put ‘UK’ sticker on car, Sep 29).
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “Changing the national identifier from GB to UK symbolises our unity as a nation and is part of a wider move towards using the UK signifier across government.”
I think people should be aware of how the UK Government think a sticker is all Scotland is worth to the Union.
Are we at the point that the Union is being held together by a sticker?
Matt Rankin
via email
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