 The Tories want methadone to be re-examined |
The new Scottish Conservative leader Annabel Goldie has used her first major speech to attack the Scottish Executive's drugs strategy. At a conference in Glasgow on Monday, Ms Goldie condemned the programme which gives drug addicts the heroin substitute, methadone.
She said ministers had wasted �11m on "publicly funded drug addiction".
The executive insisted there had been expansion in all types of treatment and not just in methadone prescription.
Ms Goldie was addressing a conference hosted by the Maxie Richards Foundation.
The pro-abstinence group supports addicts and blames widespread methadone prescribing for Scotland's drugs problems.
The new Tory leader said: "It is a well known fact that methadone is more addictive than heroin, yet this is virtually the only option open to many drug addicts across Scotland.
"Every pound spent on this so-called harm reduction route is a pound not spent on rehabilitation and the real fight against drugs."
She accused the executive of ignoring expertise in the voluntary sector and said its harm reduction approach had left 19,000 Scots addicts "parked" on methadone.
However, an executive spokeswoman said methadone prescribing was only one part of the solution to addiction and that it had to be enhanced by counselling and other forms of support.
Strategy conflict
She said: "It allows people to stabilise their lives enough to think about the next stage in the journey away from drugs, and towards a much more positive life.
"It is high time we ended the unhelpful obsession in trying to prove whether abstinence or harm reduction strategies are best.
"The most effective treatment will always depend on the circumstances of the individual addict. There is no 'one size fits all' solution."
She said more drug users were getting access to treatment as a result of substantial investment into drug services since 2000.
Ms Goldie acknowledged that methadone could help some addicts move to a more structured existence, but she claimed Scotland had become trapped in "a spider's web of confusion" over what was acceptable and safe.
She urged the executive to provide a central register of services to give addicts and concerned friends and families instant access to what was available.
Her proposed strategy also included more treatment for prisoners with drug addictions and stiffer sentences for drug dealers.
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Every pound spent on this so-called harm reduction route is a pound not spent on rehabilitation and the real fight against drugs
