Scottish Government accused of moving goalposts on drug policy reform timetable

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Scotland's drugs minister has been accused of moving the goalposts “in the face of failure” in delivering drug policy reforms.Scottish Labour’s health spokesperson Claire Baker said Angela Constance repeatedly pledged to fully embed crucial Medically Assisted Treatment targets by April this year.But the complex system of reforms, which bring rights to quicker treatment and more choices for people at risk of overdose, are now way behind schedule.Baker said that a statement by drugs policy minister Constance in Parliament on Thursday involved a major backtracking on MAT standards.She said: “In the statement Angela says ‘we set Integration Authorities the ambitious target of embedding MAT targets by April this year’.“But in March 2021, in the chamber, she said this: ‘We will ensure that those standards are fully embedded across the country by April 2022’.“And in October 2021, in the chamber, she said ‘I reiterate the commitment that I made to Parliament that those standards should be implemented across the country by April 2022.’“To me this represents a clear change in emphasis in the face of failure.”Baker said the delays risk derailing efforts to turn around our drug deaths crisis, which saw a record 1,339 people die of overdoses last year.She said: “The Scottish Government has declared a public health emergency yet it is clear that progress is sluggish.

The vital life-saving MAT standards are so far from delivery that lives continue to be needlessly lost.“There are people living with addiction who are in desperate need of heroin assisted treatment to get them on a path to recovery and stabilise their lives, but too many doors are still closed to them.”She added: “It is now 18 months since the Minister promised action on