Scotland: Forum sets out radical drugs plan

A report to be published by the Scottish Parliament calls for radical new ways to tackle the damage done by drugs and alcohol.

Recommendations include the setting up of "consumption rooms" where addicts would be able to take drugs safely and for heroin to be prescribed to users.

The report also suggests the taxation of cannabis to enable it to be more tightly regulated.

The report, from Scotland's Futures Forum, will be unveiled later.

The think-tank was established by the parliament and was tasked with looking at the challenges facing Scotland and seeking ways to meet those challenges.

In this latest report it asked how the damage caused by alcohol and drugs in Scotland could be halved by 2025.

It examined the idea of drug consumption rooms and heroin-assisted treatment to combat the high levels of drug-related deaths and hepatitis C infection.

It also studied law enforcement and found prison unproductive and unsustainable for low-level alcohol and drug offences.

The forum believes cannabis should be taxed and highly regulated to help reduce availability and harm.

Former health minister Susan Deacon, who is now professor of social change at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh, said it was important to be "open-minded" about the possible solutions to the drugs problem.

She said: "No-one is saying that there should not be an important enforcement element in drugs policy or the justice system does not have a role to play but I think there is widespread concern that there has been a disproportionate emphasis on criminal justice issues.

"We must look at drugs, alcohol and wider addiction problems as being health and social matters not simply matters which should be looked at within our criminal justice system."

This is just what pisses me off though. They treat cannabis as if it's just as nasty as the hard stuff and it ISN'T. It doesn't need to be regulated like heroin or cocaine. I've never heard of people being so desperate for cannabis that they'll steal cars and thieve off of people for "another fix". People are understandably a bit disappointed, but I would venture to say it doesn't create as much antisocial behaviour on the rest of society in comparison to class As.

cannabis has made me steal a mate was once over and crashed out leaving a nice mix on the table i thought he won't notice one bong and next morning he woke up and said "omg i got so fucked last night, shit did i smoke all my green". I do feel terrible about that but it was the one time where he actually had his own smoke so i guess it's fair.

Yeah, ok that was theft, but not the same as stealing a car or breaking in entry with intent to steal. No one is going to go to the fuzz and be like "yeah man, someone stole MY STASH, the bastard, help me?!" ; )

Crime related to supply of class As is pretty serious, if not one of the main causes of theft-related crime? It's causing enough grief to the rest of society to make people sit up and take notice, sorry I'm rambling now : P Hope that made sense...