Angela Constance: Last News

Ewan McGregor wants Scots heroin users to try a drug-free treatment to break the cycle of addiction.The actor, who played Mark Renton in Trainspotting, urged the Scottish Government to investigate neuro electric therapy after narrating a documentary charting successful trials in the US.NET was developed in the 70s by Hong Kong-based Scots surgeon Meg Patterson, whose previous patients included rock stars Eric Clapton, Keith Moon and Boy George.It uses tiny pulses of electrical currents to stimulate brain chemicals which can ease addicts through a comfortable, pain-free withdrawal.Drugs minister Angela Constance has dismissed the treatment claiming it is “no more effective than a placebo”.Scotland has the worst drug-death toll in Europe and

Get the stories that matter to you sent straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter.The boss of a drugs recovery project hopes their work will help shape plans to fight ­Scotland’s drug death crisis.Donnie McGilveray, manager of Alternatives in West Dunbartonshire, had a meeting with drugs policy minister Angela Constance last week after the Scottish Government recently unveiled a £250million pot to tackle the emergency.It came after figures last year showed drug deaths rose to a record new level.In West Dunbartonshire, the number of people lost to drugs more than doubled within just two years, with Donnie saying he was “devastated” by the shocking toll.Speaking this week, Donnie said he was contacted by the Scottish Government as

drug deaths.The solemn gesture came as Labour’s health spokesperson Monica Lennon demanded an immediate £20 million package to fund residential rehab in Scotland.That sum, which would match the entire budget of the Scottish Drug Deaths Task Force, reflects the high cost if such treatment, which has been all but abandoned in Scotland in recent years.New drugs policy minister Angela Constance pledged to secure enough funding to bring Scotland’s shoddy rehab services - currently funding a meagre 22 beds - up to the European average.A debate called by Lennon on our drug deaths crisis  considered that more national and local action is needed to hit back at the crisis, which claimed 1,264 lives in 2019.Lennon said: “Words don’t seem adequate in

link.“All political parties should be willing to work together to end the stigma, save lives and to help Scotland’s recovery community thrive.”Former public health minister Joe FitzPatrick has since been sacked by the Scottish Government and a new minister for drugs policy, Angela Constance, has been appointed in the role.

Nicola Sturgeon is to meet Scotland’s Lord ­Advocate to discuss a possible ­turnaround on controversial drug laws.The First Minister made the pledge to activist Peter Krykant, whose mobile ­Overdose Prevention Centre, run from a converted minibus, is testing the resolve of police and prosecutors.After online talks with ­Sturgeon and new drugs policy minister Angela Constance last night, Krykant told the Record: “If you asked me a few weeks ago I’d have said I had zero hope of Scotland’s drug deaths being turned around.“But after the First Minister’s recent statements and the way the meeting went, I feel far more optimistic.“She made a promise that she would hold discussions with the Lord Advocate to examine what might be done under existing

drugs minister has promised a rapid “step change” backed with “significant” extra funding.Angela Constance admitted the time for talk is over and action must come immediately, with fast results.She told the Daily Record that she is prepared to be personally judged on results in the same way as her ­predecessor, Joe FitzPatrick, before he was forced to resign last week.Constance said: “The First Minister has said we own this crisis and I will own our successes and I will own our failures.“I don’t do denial and complacency but I am determined that we will have a national mission to address this.“I know for sure that I have between now and the Scottish Parliament ­elections in this post.

Joe FitzPatrick, who left the post last week.FitzPatrick quit after being roundly criticised over drugs death figures.Gougeon, SNP MSP for Angus North and Mearns, was the Minister for Rural Affairs and the Natural Environment.In her new post, she will play a key role in tackling the pandemic and will have responsibility for COVID-19 testing.Angela Constance has been nominated to be the new Minister for Drugs Policy.First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: "Mairi Gougeon has proven herself to be a highly effective Rural Affairs minister working with stakeholders, balancing competing interests and taking on difficult policy challenges."She will now be part of the team protecting and improving Scotland’s public health, and will play a key role in

Sign up to the weekly West Lothian Courier newsletter for the latest West Lothian news and sport.To mark Blood Cancer Awareness Month this September, Angela Constance MSP took part in a digital ‘Day of Action’ to celebrate the number of potential stem cell donors in Almond Valley on the Anthony Nolan register and raise awareness of the urgent need for more donors in light of the challenges to donor recruitment presented by the pandemic.This day was marked by Anthony Nolan on Wednesday, September 9, as part of its Communities vs Blood Cancer campaign, which shines a spotlight on vital work being done locally to ensure that every patient in need of a stem cell transplant can find a lifesaving donor.Anthony Nolan’s lifesaving work has been

Lawrence Fitzpatrick said: “I know everyone at Valneva are extremely proud to have been selected to take part in this important programme.“West Lothian has a strong life science, technology, engineering and manufacturing sector which are key contributors to economic growth in the local area.

“The Scottish Government has both the ability and moral obligation to do this.” SNP MSP for Almond Valley, Angela Constance, said: “West Lothian like the rest of Scotland is experiencing the hardship of a significant rise in unemployment due to the double whammy of Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic.“What we need now as a matter of urgency is a Job Guarantee Scheme particularly for young people who are at most risk from the long-term effects of unemployment.

SNP and Labour MSPs are consulting the public on how to bring about a revolution in the “broken” social care system.Nationalist Angela Constance and Labour leader Richard Leonard are separately reaching out for views on a national care service, which could dismantle the largely privately-owned status quo.Constance, a former SNP Education Secretary, is calling for the Scottish Government to produce a blueprint before next year’s election.Get all the top Scottish politics news sent straight to your Inbox by signing up to our Politics newsletter.We cover Holyrood, Westminster and local councils, with a current focus on how our governments are handling the coronavirus pandemic.To sign up, simply enter your email address into the pink box near

MSP Angela Constance has backed a new campaign aimed at preventing avoidable accidents in the home to ease pressure on the NHS during the Covid-19 outbreak.