National Mission to Reduce Drug Deaths and Harms
- Submitted by: Angela Constance, Almond Valley, Scottish National Party.
- Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 March 2021
- Motion reference: S5M-24396
- Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Thursday, 18 March 2021
Motions as amended
That the Parliament recognises that almost 3,400 people in Scotland have lost their lives to drug misuse in the last three years; believes that this scale of loss of life is not only a tragedy on the friends and families left behind, but is also a mark of shame on the nation; notes the Scottish Government's proposal to lead a national mission to reduce drug deaths and harms, and to agree that this is a public health emergency requiring partnership working and concerted action at all levels of public life; welcomes the announcement of significant increased funding to support this national mission to be invested in a range of areas that will have the biggest impact in getting individuals into treatment and keeping them alive; acknowledges that additional resources are necessary after years of funding cuts to services; supports the use of public health interventions such as safe consumption facilities to prevent overdoses and save lives; considers that the resources of the police and criminal justice system should be focused on preventing supply of harmful drugs in Scotland's communities and ensuring that vulnerable drug users are not exposed to unnecessary court action; notes that the scale of drugs deaths in Scotland is the highest in the UK; believes that, as well as preventing deaths, there is a need to deliver improvements in treatment options and the availability of same-day treatment for those who seek help with substance misuse; calls on the next Scottish administration to coordinate a plan for a Scotland-wide network of heroin-assisted treatment facilities, and agrees to work towards diverting people caught in possession of drugs for personal use into treatment and ceasing imprisonment in these cases, helping save lives.
Original motion text
That the Parliament recognises that almost 3,400 people in Scotland have lost their lives to drug misuse in the last three years; believes that this scale of loss of life is not only a tragedy on the friends and families left behind, but is also a mark of shame on the nation; notes the Scottish Government’s proposal to lead a national mission to reduce drug deaths and harms, and to agree that this is a public health emergency requiring partnership working and concerted action at all levels of public life, and welcomes the announcement of significant increased funding to support this national mission to be invested in a range of areas that will have the biggest impact in getting individuals into treatment and keeping them alive.
Accepted amendments
National Mission to Reduce Drug Deaths and Harms - Amendment - Amendment
Submitted by: James Kelly, Glasgow, Scottish Labour, Date lodged: Wednesday, March 17, 2021
Current status: Taken in the chamber on Thursday, March 18, 2021
Result 113 for, 1 against, 0 abstained, 15 did not vote Vote Passed
Defeated amendments
National Mission to Reduce Drug Deaths and Harms - Amendment - Amendment
Submitted by: Brian Whittle, South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date lodged: Wednesday, March 17, 2021
Supported by: Donald Cameron
Current status: Taken in the chamber on Thursday, March 18, 2021
Result 43 for, 69 against, 1 abstained, 16 did not vote Vote Defeated
Amendments that have not been voted on
National Mission to Reduce Drug Deaths and Harms - Amendment - Amendment
Submitted by: Liam McArthur, Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats, Date lodged: Wednesday, March 17, 2021
Current status: Taken in the chamber on Thursday, March 18, 2021