John Finnie writes to FM on drug deaths
At First Minister’s Questions on Thursday Green MSP John Finnie called on the Scottish Government to establish a public inquiry into Scotland’s drug deaths crisis.
Mr Finnie has now written to Nicola Sturgeon, noting that a public inquiry is, “the best manner of establishing every aspect of this problem and to give Government the evidence required to address it comprehensively.”
Scotland saw a record 934 drug deaths in 2017. It is feared the figure for 2018 could be significantly higher.
John Finnie MSP said:
“There were over 900 drug deaths in 2017. This is around eight times the EU average, and it is feared that the figure for 2018 will be even higher. There is a lot of great harm reduction work taking place across the country, however everything suggests that the current trajectory will continue. In the face of this public health crisis we must establish every aspect of the problem and act on this evidence in order to comprehensively address it.”