Scottish drug addicts parked on methadone

Drug addicts in Scotland seeking help to recover are being parked on methadone instead.

Cheryl Ferguson started taking drugs at 24 and funded her habit through begging, stealing and prostitution.

The recovering addict said: “They’re not even trying to find out why you took drugs, they’re just putting you on a prescription and leaving you.”

‘Free rein’

Ferguson, who spent time in and out of prison and lost her family because of her addiction, was given methadone for nine months before she was seen by a medical professional.

She said: “In my experience, that was a free rein to go and use.”

Dundee had the highest rate of drug deaths per capita between 2017 and 2021 of all local authorities in Scotland.

Pauline Kinsman, whose daughter was a heroin addict for 23 years, says support services in the city are “virtually non-existent and totally ineffectual.”

Shooting galleries

The Scottish Drug Death Taskforce claimed that the introduction of heroin ‘shooting galleries’ – which allow drug addicts to take drugs without fear of arrest – is key to bringing down deaths.

The quango set up by the Scottish Government in 2019 recommends that ‘supervised drug consumption facilities’ (SDFCs) be rolled out nationwide.

The Christian Institute’s Simon Calvert warned: “Shooting galleries have no place in a responsible and compassionate response to the scourge of addiction.”

Westminster has repeatedly rejected calls by Scottish ministers to allow such facilities to gain official approval.