PARTIES JOIN FORCES TO LAUNCH WAR ON DRUGS

POLITICAL rivalry in the run-up to the Scottish parliamentary elections was
put on hold yesterday when all parties agreed that joining forces was the
only way to tackle drug abuse.

A policy report, Drug Use in Scotland: A Shared Agenda, prepared by an
all-party working group convened by the Scottish Drugs Forum and launched in
Glasgow yesterday, calls for an end to divisions between campaign groups.

The rifts grew out of the last all-party initiative against drugs, Scotland
Against Drugs, which was set up in 1996. SAD polarised the debate by
claiming the only effective message to drug users was zero tolerance, and
that groups which aimed to reduce the harm caused by drugs, by advising
casual users and supporting addicts, were "peddling death".

The Scottish Labour Party spokesman, Mike McCarron, said: "The past response
to drug misuse has been characterised by unhelpful divisions. The Scottish
parliament provides the opportunity to exploit cross-party consensus on how
we can effectively respond to drug use."

A Scottish National Party spokesman, Pete Wishart, said: "There is
increasing evidence of what are the most effective ways of responding to the
drug problem and we need to make sure our responses are based on that
evidence."

Marilyne MacLaren of the Scottish Liberal Democrats added: "The best way to
make significant impact on the drug problem is through the creation of
legitimate economies to undermine the hold drugs has on poorer communities."

A Scottish Tory spokeswoman, Kate Pickering, said: "We believe it is crucial
to look at intervening as early as possible with young people’s drug use."

The policy document also highlights the growing problem of heroin abuse by
Scottish youngsters.

Anne Thomson, the chairman of SDF, said: "The response to drug use in
Scotland will be one of the major tasks faced by our new parliamentarians.
It will be a strong test of the expressed spirit of the Scottish parliament
to be less confrontational, more thoughtful and consensual in terms of
addressing the pressing social issues of the day."

She called on MSPs to be less emotive and more constructive in looking at
the complex issues surrounding drug abuse.

SAD was not represented on the working group that produced yesterday’s
policy document. Alastair Ramsay, the executive director of SAD, said that
the idea of collective and collaborative action against drugs could only be
a good thing.