Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 31 May 2022
Patricia knows only too well how Scotland’s SNP Government is failing families who have loved ones struggling with addiction. Patricia’s son is 47. He has a drug addiction, and he has been on methadone for years. He wants to be free. He describes methadone as being like “liquid handcuffs”. It is as if he is shackled to the chemist, and he fears that he will remain so for the rest of his days. That is because support for recovery and rehabilitation is thin on the ground.
For recovery to work, of course, those with addictions must want to change. However, to do so and to take responsibility for their own recovery, they need long-term support and supervision from professionals who believe in them. Recovery is a long, bumpy and winding road. People with addictions who try hard to get their lives back on track often suffer daily with headaches, nervous symptom disorders and disorientation. It is important that we have their backs and are there for them in the long run.
Patricia explains that that is simply not happening. Furthermore, from her experience, there is far too much red tape to get through to access services in the first place. When mistakes occur, such as a service having failed to communicate an appointment, guess who gets the blame for not attending.
Dentistry is an important part of the recovery process, not only for repairing extensive tooth decay and treating gum disease. Poor dental health is a stigma associated with drug addiction. It influences how people see addicts and how addicts see themselves. Dental interventions can change self-image for the better, and that is important for wellbeing and recovery.
Patricia wrote to me again on Friday. She is pleading for access to a safe and well-supported rehabilitation unit—a caring service that will help her son off his dependency on methadone so that he can have, as she says, a live worth living. Her son is a 6 foot man who weighs just 9 stone. He is crying out for just one right in life: a right to recovery.
We are not seeing anywhere near enough progress to advance the rehabilitation and treatment of addiction in Scotland. Addiction is ruining countless lives. Families are being torn apart and, over the past decade, thousands have died directly from drug-related causes. More than 1,300 people died in 2020 alone. There were five times as many drug-related deaths in 2020 as there were in 2000. Scotland’s drug rate is three and a half times that of the UK as a whole. That is a scandal. It is Scotland’s national shame—no, it is our Parliament’s shame. It is a failure of Government.
I believe that, across the chamber, we agree that the current strategies do not work. The Scottish Conservatives support a public health approach to substance use. We need to have a right to treatment and on-going support to turn lives around. We need to care and encourage people right through their recovery journey. That is why we feel so strongly about our right to addiction recovery bill. The key underlying principle is to ensure that everyone who seeks treatment for drugs or alcohol addiction is able to access the necessary addiction treatment that they require. That would be a clear, binding commitment to families and communities throughout the country. It would be an unambiguous promise enshrined in law.
The consultation on our proposals showed an overwhelmingly positive response, with 77 per cent of people supportive of them. That included organisations with hard experience of working with sufferers of addiction, including Faces & Voices of Recovery, Sisco, the Scottish Tenants Organisation, Recovery Enterprises Scotland and the Church of Scotland. I am pleased that the Minister for Drugs Policy has signalled a move towards Scottish Government support for our proposals, and I hope that we can speedily work together across Parliament to ensure that a right to recovery is put into law as soon as possible.
Of course details are important, but so is delivery. In order to deliver the right to recovery bill, there is an obligation on NHS health boards, the Scottish ministers and others to provide treatment and set up reporting arrangements so that the quality of, and the access to, the treatment provided can be monitored and reported to the Scottish Parliament, because the Scottish Parliament needs to see the data. If we do not measure it, we cannot improve it.
The addiction and recovery treatment services would include community-based short-term and long-term residential rehabilitation, community-based and residential detox, stabilisation services and substitute prescribing services. Individuals could access a preferred treatment option, unless it is deemed to be harmful by a medical professional.
Our right to addiction recovery bill would also prevent individuals from being refused access to treatment because they had a criminal history that involves substance abuse or a mental health assessment or because they were in receipt of substitute prescribing services or were still using alcohol and drugs. If someone wants support, they should get it.
I believe that all of us in the chamber are horrified by the rising toll of addiction-related deaths and by how addiction has spiralled out of control—it is tearing families apart and blighting communities. The problem is huge for Scotland, and it is complex. Tackling it head on requires co-ordinated action to include support for recovery, reducing demand and restricting supply.
It is worth noting that co-ordination among the four nations on tackling drug dealing and organised crime is important. We heard in February that police in Kent raided a manufacturing facility and seized 27 million street benzodiazepine tablets that were bound for Glasgow. Just as we do not want Scotland to be seen as a safe place for criminals to do business in, we need to work with partners across the UK to damage the source of their supplies.
The thrust of my speech is about supporting people who want to kick their addiction. We should strive to ensure that no one falls through the gaps and that no stigma is attached to addiction.