News In Focus
2 December 2005
Simpson speaks out as drugs agency closed
The Scottish Executive has announced that the functions of the publicly-funded advisory body Scotland Against Drugs will be transferred to the new Scottish Centre for Healthy Working from next April.
Deputy Justice Minister Hugh Henry said the integration of the two organisations would help strengthen work on substance misuse and workplace health through a "comprehensive, integrated one-stop shop". The centre aims to get addicts back to work.
However, the former Deputy Justice Minister Richard Simpson has criticised current Executive policy for concentrating more on the justice system, rather than rehabilitation for addicts. He said that spending favoured long-term addicts and that the Executive had put too much money into services like the drugs courts and special disposals like drug trreatment and testing orders, whereas more efforts should be made to help those in the early stages of addiction.
He spoke out after it was revealed that ministers did not know how many people in Scotland were receiving methadone, although the estimate for numbers last year was 19,200.
Dr Simpson - who resigned from the Scottish Executive in 2002 - said drug courts were the most expensive measure and it was not yet known if they had been successful or not. He added that the Executive should be spending more money and attention on those who had recently become dependent, those who had children and those not involved in substantial criminal activity.
While the SAD closure was being seen in some quarters as increasing the emphasis on criminality, other commentators said it made sense to adopt a more integrated approach.
A spokesperson for the Executive said it was looking into all forms of treatment and not just methadone and accepted that the most effective treatment would depend on the circumstances of the individual addict.