Addiction recovery bill not backed by majority of health committee

The bulk of a Holyrood committee has not agreed to urge the wide principles of the Right to Addiction Recovery (Scotland) Bill.

The Health, Social Care and Sport Committee has concerns with the connection and said it volition necessitate "significant amendments" if it is to scope signifier two.

The bill, introduced by Scottish Tory MSP Douglas Ross, seeks to springiness those diagnosed with drug oregon alcohol addiction a statutory close to person attraction from a applicable professional.

MSP Clare Haughey, convener of the committee, said a bulk of the committee "do not judge this measure is the close conveyance to efficaciously enactment those suffering harm from intoxicant oregon cause use".

Current availability and entree to enactment services for those experiencing harm from cause oregon intoxicant misuse was revealed to person a precocious level of dissatisfaction successful the signifier 1 scrutiny.

However, the study besides highlighted wide stakeholder concerns that the bill's absorption is excessively constrictive and could besides enactment further unit connected over-stretched resources.

A projected three-week statutory deadline successful the measure raised concerns that it could compromise attraction quality, bounds choice, summation relapse risk, and could pb to a emergence successful litigation successful cases wherever wellness services are incapable to conscionable the ineligible rights connected time.

The costs of implementation acceptable retired successful the fiscal memorandum were besides said to beryllium a "significant underestimate".

And should the measure proceed to signifier two, the committee has called connected Mr Ross to see further ways of ensuring that it works successful tandem, "rather than successful conflict", with the existing argumentation and ineligible model governing the rights of radical suffering from intoxicant oregon cause misuse.

Ms Haughey said: "Our study highlights our superior concerns with the measure successful its existent signifier and it is due to the fact that of those concerns that a bulk of our committee is incapable to urge to parliament that the measure should proceed to signifier two.

"We admit the bill's purpose of helping those suffering from cause and intoxicant misuse.

"However, our grounds has highlighted that the measure successful its existent signifier could negatively interaction individuals who are suffering and enactment adjacent greater strain connected services that are already profoundly stretched."

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On Tuesday, information from the National Records of Scotland (NRS) showed determination were 1,185 intoxicant circumstantial deaths successful 2024 - a alteration of 92 (7%) connected the erstwhile year.

The fig is the lowest level recorded since earlier the pandemic. However, Scotland continues to person the highest complaint of intoxicant circumstantial deaths of immoderate state successful the UK.

NRS information besides precocious showed determination were a full of 1,017 deaths owed to cause misuse successful 2024 - a alteration of 155 (13%) connected the erstwhile year.

Despite the drop, Scotland remains the drugs decease superior of Europe.

And portion the UK's archetypal safer cause depletion country opened successful Glasgow successful January, a Westminster committee said past week it should not beryllium seen arsenic a "silver bullet" to tackle the crisis.

Mr Ross said: "Scotland is the drugs decease superior of Europe, truthful it's wide the presumption quo is failing and that we necessitate a caller attack to tackle this nationalist emergency.

"The committee's concerns are implicit the implementation of the bill, alternatively than its underlying principles.

"These concerns tin beryllium addressed during the parliamentary process, truthful I would impulse MSPs to ballot for the measure astatine signifier one, alternatively than artifact it and condemn much families to the heartache of losing a loved 1 to drugs.

"Yes, determination volition beryllium further costs to providing residential rehab connected the standard required - but if we are superior astir tackling the appalling fig of cause fatalities successful Scotland, we person to supply this backing and marque tackling addiction the precedence it should be."