Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Roz McCall has condemned the latest reported rise in people in Fife dying from drugs as ‘horrifying and heart breaking’.
According to the latest statistics published by National Records Scotland the number of people from Fife dying from drugs related deaths is at its highest since 2019.
The quarter ending December 2023 alone saw 21 drug related death across the Kingdom
Across Scotland, the news that 1,197 people died from drugs in 2023 means that Scotland’s drug death rate remains stubbornly high and still by far the worst in Europe.
Ms McCall has called on all local representatives to unite and back a Scottish Conservative proposal to finally guarantee that everyone who needs drug treatment can get it.
Roz McCall MSP said:
‘’These latest statistics are horrifying and heart-breaking. Behind every number is a lost loved one and a broken family.
“These shocking figures alone cannot capture the agony, pain and devastation that the drugs crisis is causing in communities across Scotland and here in Fife where we have since numbers stubbornly high.
“The drugs crisis is our national shame. It is a stain on Scotland that so many of our most vulnerable people have been left without hope, crushed by a system that is thoroughly broken.
“This is not a day for political posturing but it is a simple fact that the government’s small steps are not cutting it. The crisis is getting worse and spiralling out of control.
“We need a united national effort to make the drastic changes necessary to overhaul the broken system.
“The Scottish Conservatives are bringing forward a Right to Recovery Bill to guarantee in law that everyone who needs treatment can get it.
“This proposal has the backing of frontline groups and experts across the political spectrum. SNP MSPs are reportedly on board privately. We only need the government to wake up, stop stalling and support it.
“Overnight, we won’t end this crisis. But we can start on the right path today and take the necessary action now, if the government throws their weight behind this proposal.”
