Scotland to invest over £14m to tackle drugs death

The Scottish government will invest an additional £14.4m in front-line services to get more people into treatment and help to tackle country’s drugs deaths emergency.

The funding is part of the £50m already pledged to address drugs deaths this year, the government said on Thursday (June 17).

It will include money to help implement new treatment standards that will ensure everyone gets the same level of treatment, regardless of where they live in Scotland.

Other investments announced today include:

• an extra £13.3m for Alcohol and Drugs Partnerships, including funding to improve services for children and families
• £1m to support third-sector initiatives
• £1m on establishing a Lived and Living Experience forum and maintaining existing panels
• £800,000 for a campaign to tackle the stigma around drug use, and
• £1.5m for public health surveillance, evaluation and monitoring and research.

Drugs Policy minister Angela Constance said: “This announcement sets out how the £50m additional funding announced for this year will be spent on improving and saving lives and it is vital that those working on the front-line have the necessary resources to meet the needs of drug users who seek help and their families.

“Much of the additional funding I have announced will support Alcohol and Drug Partnerships and third sector organisations to develop their workforce and improve capacity.

“We want to increase the number of people in treatment and £4m will go specifically towards the implementation of the new MAT standards which ensure everyone has access to the support which works best for them. Same day support will begin to be rolled out from this autumn with all of the standards in place by April next year.

“Over the next five years we will spend £250m on addressing this crisis, £100m of which will go on improving the provision of residential rehabilitation and I will update Parliament on progress in this area after the summer recess.

“I am determined that every penny of this additional funding will make a difference to all those affected by drug use in Scotland.”

The latest allocations are in addition to the £18m already committed to four separate funds to improve drugs services, meaning the full £50m has now been allocated for this year.