 Susan Deacon is calling for a wide-ranging debate on drugs |
A former health minister is calling for a radical rethink on drugs policy. Former Labour MSP, Susan Deacon, who is not standing for re-election, said politicians from all parties should stop talking tough on drugs.
She said emphasising law enforcement gets in the way of seeking other approaches through education and the health service.
Ms Deacon wants to see better education programmes and a wider range of treatments to be made available.
"It's not rocket science to say we need a range of policies and services available to respond to different needs," she told BBC Scotland.
"The idea there is one type of treatment that works and one that doesn't is nonsensical.
"I think one of the big challenges that lies ahead is to ensure you have a range of treatment options available, not just for opiates like heroin but for the whole range of drug and substance misuse problems we have in society."
Methadone use
Ms Deacon called for a review of the use of methadone.
"There is some evidence that in Scotland there has been more widespread use and dependence on methadone so the idea of looking at this is eminently sensible," she said.
Ms Deacon called for a wide-ranging debate on the drugs problem, but said talking tough was not effective.
She said: "I think there is a very, very genuine commitment by a wide range of politicians and parties to try and do something meaningful about drugs.
"The difficulty often translates into some pretty rough rhetoric and sometimes good ideas but not really a wide-ranging, informed and comprehensive policy approach to the issue.
"Looking and talking tough isn't necessarily about being effective. The real concern is that kind of emphasis has skewed investment and policy."
She added that one of the main problems was that that large numbers of people are being criminalised while many others, who need treatment, are not receiving it.
"There must be a more informed, measured approach to this debate to make progress in the future," she said.
Scotland has one of the worst drug problems in Europe.
There are thought to be 50,000 drug users in Scotland - about 1% of the population - and 20,000 on the methadone programme.
'Dangerous perception'
Professor Neil McKeganey, from the Centre for Drugs Misuse Research at Glasgow University, said 85%-90% of drug addicts on treatment were on methadone.
"I don't think it's actually been as successful as its main proponents have thought," he said.
"I think we've lost sight of the idea of getting addicts off drugs.
 About 20,000 drug users are currently taking methadone |
"The focus has been 'let's stop them committing crime' and that's the main response to the drug problem and frankly it's not good enough for addicts, their families and Scotland."
Prof McKeganey said the vast majority of people on the methadone programme were out of work, still committing crimes and still using illegal drugs.
"We should have continuous public education campaigns in quite stark terms outlining the reality of drug addiction in young people's lives," he said.
He said Scotland's drugs policy needed to be a combination of enforcement and treatment and said the country should appoint a drugs minister.
"The single most dangerous perception we have about the drugs issue is that we've just now got to live with it," he added.
 |  What we genuinely need is a commitment to an education program which links the abuse of drink and smoking to the abuse of drugs |
"This is a problem quite literally tearing the heart out of Scotland."
Graeme Pearson, director general of the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency, said there was evidence that methadone helped addicts stabilise their lives.
He said they were less likely to commit crime and pointed out that the number of problematic drug abusers in Scotland had fallen by 5,000 over the last five years.
Mr Pearson added: "We need to invest in these programs that are demonstrated to work, which in my terms means getting people off drugs and not maintaining them on drugs over long periods of time.
"What we genuinely need is a commitment to an education program which links the abuse of drink and smoking to the abuse of drugs because prisoners in Polmont prison tell me that its during that teenage period when they are abusing alcohol that they slip into the abuse of drugs."
Mr Pearson also called for teenagers to be given greater access to diversions like sport and music to keep them occupied and early intervention programs for those coming into contact with drugs for the first time.
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