Hansard

PE2024, which was lodged by Cael Scott, calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to create a national public information programme to raise awareness of the impacts of using steroids, selective androgen receptor modulators and other performance-enhancing drugs. According to the petition, that programme should have a particular focus on the impact on young people between the ages of 16 and 25; should work with community learning and development practitioners, gyms and community coaches to raise awareness; and should develop a public health campaign to highlight the negative impacts of PEDs and encourage regular health check-ups for users, and a screening programme to allow users to test the safety of their PEDs.

We last considered the petition at our meeting on 29 May 2024, when we agreed to write to the Minister for Drugs and Alcohol Policy. Our late colleague Christina McKelvie, the then minister, responded to the committee on 27 June 2024. As this is the first opportunity that the committee has had to do so, I offer my condolences on behalf of the committee to all those who continue to mourn her loss.

In her response to the committee, the minister confirmed that the focus of the early interventions for children and young people working group has been on the treatment service in general, and it has not considered image and performance-enhancing drugs specifically. She also mentioned work to develop a framework that would include treatment standards for children and young people who are supported for any drug or alcohol problem, which was expected to support the introduction of the charter of rights for people affected by substance use that was launched, as our paper notes, in December 2024.

In her response, the minister also stated that the Scottish Government’s policy on IPEDs remains that it will continue to support Police Scotland in tackling any criminality, and to support local treatment and recovery services to provide help for people who have been impacted by drugs of any kind, including IPEDs.

We have also received a submission from the petitioner that responds to the minister’s submission and draws our attention to the mortality risks that are associated with IPED use, such as an estimated death rate of more than 550 people per year in Scotland. The petitioner also highlights that many IPEDs are legal and available to purchase online, and they suggest that the Scottish Government’s position of working with Police Scotland to tackle criminality, as well as a lack of local advice services, will result in no action being taken to address the risks, including death, of IPED use in Scotland. So, the petitioner is not terribly impressed.

Do members have any suggestions about what we should do in the light of the information that we have received and the petitioner’s submission?