The Scottish government is advocating for the legalization of drug possession.

The organization is urging the UK government to revise the laws, so that individuals can receive treatment and support instead of being treated as criminals and marginalized.

Possessing drugs with the intention to supply them to others is still considered an offense.

The government has expressed its desire to amend the law in order to permit the establishment of supervised drug consumption facilities.

Drug laws are currently under the jurisdiction of the Westminster government.

The Scottish government is responsible for health and social policies related to drug consumption.

The Scottish government has put forward several additional suggestions, including the introduction of more substance checking services and expanded availability of emergency treatments for drug overdoses.

Scotland’s Drugs Policy Minister Elena Whitham announced that the “war on drugs has failed.”

She added: “That’s a fact. I don’t think we can dispute that.

“Our current drug law does not stop people from using drugs, it does not stop people from experiencing the harm associated and, critically, it does not stop people from dying.

“In fact, I would say today here, that criminalisation increases the harms people experience. Criminalisation kills.”

The call comes four years after the SNP backed decriminalising the possession and consumption of drugs at its party conference.

UK government opposition

A Home Office spokesperson said: “Illegal drugs destroy lives and devastate communities. We are committed to preventing drug use by supporting people through treatment and recovery and tackling the supply of illegal drugs, as set out in our 10-year drugs strategy. “We have no plans to decriminalise drugs given the associated harms, including the risks posed by organised criminals, who will use any opportunity to operate an exploitative and violent business model.”

Scotland’s drug-related deaths decreased slightly last year, going from 1,339 to 1,330. This is a significant change after eight consecutive years of increases. However, it is important to note that Scotland still has the highest recorded drug death rate among European countries.

The Scottish government invested over £250m into the country’s addiction services as a response to the crisis.

Efforts to establish drug consumption rooms in Scotland have been ongoing for years.

Campaigners argue that supervised injection facilities, which allow individuals to inject drugs under the supervision of healthcare professionals, are necessary and have the support of the Scottish government.

The UK government blocked an attempt to establish consumption rooms in Glasgow, citing concerns about potential crimes that could occur within these facilities.

In 2021, the Lord Advocate made a decision in Scotland allowing individuals who are found with Class A drugs to receive a police warning rather than being prosecuted.

The move, which critics said was “de facto decriminalisation”, did not extend to drug dealing.

‘Madness’

Scottish Conservative justice spokesman, Russell Findlay, opposes the idea of solving Scotland’s drug death crisis, which is the worst in Europe, by legalizing heroin, crack, and other class-A drugs. He considers this approach to be madness.

This would put more drugs on our streets. It would put more lives at risk.

UK Labour’s shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, expressed her disagreement with the proposed shift during a visit to Scotland, stating, I don’t think this sounds like a good policy.

Several prominent drugs charities have released a joint statement expressing approval for the Scottish.