'Shooting galleries' plan urged to cut down drug deaths

[Guest guest]

http://news.scotsman.com/health/39Shooting-galleries39-plan-urged-to.4163984.jp

'Shooting galleries' plan urged to cut down drug deaths

GalleryPublished Date: 09 June 2008

By

Social Affairs Correspondent

" SHOOTING galleries " , where heroin addicts can inject in a safe environment,

should be set up across Scotland to deal with increases drug use, a Holyrood

think tank has advised.

The use of drug consumption rooms (DCRs) is advocated in a report, published

today by Scotland's Futures Forum.

Authors of the report are calling for a major shift in government policy,

warning that Scotland's war on drugs and alcohol will be lost unless a radical

new approach to law enforcement and community treatment is adopted.

The report, seen by The Scotsman, challenges current drug strategies, which

target the lion's share of resources on the police and criminal justice system,

rather than education and drug prevention. Tom Wood, vice-chair of the SFF's

project, and one of the country's leading drug experts, said there was worldwide

evidence suggesting DCRs can be part of the solution.

" In Scotland, we have to face the fact that we have the highest drug death rate

in Europe. We have one of the highest rates of Hepatitis C from needle sharing.

" DCRs keep people in contact because there is the public health issue –

blood-borne viruses like Aids and Hepatitis.

" It is not just a gang hut for drug addicts to attend at their convenience. "

There are about 60 DCRs in eight countries around the world, including

Australia, Canada and Switzerland and they are currently being piloted in

England.

Some of Scotland's most senior police officers agreed that DCRs could be an

option, according to the SFF report.

" While it was acknowledged that there was currently considerable public concern,

and possible political avoidance, many accepted that DCRs had been effective in

other countries, particularly where they addressed public injecting and reduced

public nuisance, " according to the report.

_________________________________________________________________

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[Guest guest]

http://news.scotsman.com/health/39Shooting-galleries39-plan-urged-to.4163984.jp

'Shooting galleries' plan urged to cut down drug deaths

GalleryPublished Date: 09 June 2008

By

Social Affairs Correspondent

" SHOOTING galleries " , where heroin addicts can inject in a safe environment,

should be set up across Scotland to deal with increases drug use, a Holyrood

think tank has advised.

The use of drug consumption rooms (DCRs) is advocated in a report, published

today by Scotland's Futures Forum.

Authors of the report are calling for a major shift in government policy,

warning that Scotland's war on drugs and alcohol will be lost unless a radical

new approach to law enforcement and community treatment is adopted.

The report, seen by The Scotsman, challenges current drug strategies, which

target the lion's share of resources on the police and criminal justice system,

rather than education and drug prevention. Tom Wood, vice-chair of the SFF's

project, and one of the country's leading drug experts, said there was worldwide

evidence suggesting DCRs can be part of the solution.

" In Scotland, we have to face the fact that we have the highest drug death rate

in Europe. We have one of the highest rates of Hepatitis C from needle sharing.

" DCRs keep people in contact because there is the public health issue –

blood-borne viruses like Aids and Hepatitis.

" It is not just a gang hut for drug addicts to attend at their convenience. "

There are about 60 DCRs in eight countries around the world, including

Australia, Canada and Switzerland and they are currently being piloted in

England.

Some of Scotland's most senior police officers agreed that DCRs could be an

option, according to the SFF report.

" While it was acknowledged that there was currently considerable public concern,

and possible political avoidance, many accepted that DCRs had been effective in

other countries, particularly where they addressed public injecting and reduced

public nuisance, " according to the report.

_________________________________________________________________

It’s easy to add contacts from Facebook and other social sites through Windows

Live™ Messenger. Learn how.

https://www.invite2messenger.net/im/?source=TXT_EML_WLH_LearnHow

[Guest guest]

http://news.scotsman.com/health/39Shooting-galleries39-plan-urged-to.4163984.jp

'Shooting galleries' plan urged to cut down drug deaths

GalleryPublished Date: 09 June 2008

By

Social Affairs Correspondent

" SHOOTING galleries " , where heroin addicts can inject in a safe environment,

should be set up across Scotland to deal with increases drug use, a Holyrood

think tank has advised.

The use of drug consumption rooms (DCRs) is advocated in a report, published

today by Scotland's Futures Forum.

Authors of the report are calling for a major shift in government policy,

warning that Scotland's war on drugs and alcohol will be lost unless a radical

new approach to law enforcement and community treatment is adopted.

The report, seen by The Scotsman, challenges current drug strategies, which

target the lion's share of resources on the police and criminal justice system,

rather than education and drug prevention. Tom Wood, vice-chair of the SFF's

project, and one of the country's leading drug experts, said there was worldwide

evidence suggesting DCRs can be part of the solution.

" In Scotland, we have to face the fact that we have the highest drug death rate

in Europe. We have one of the highest rates of Hepatitis C from needle sharing.

" DCRs keep people in contact because there is the public health issue –

blood-borne viruses like Aids and Hepatitis.

" It is not just a gang hut for drug addicts to attend at their convenience. "

There are about 60 DCRs in eight countries around the world, including

Australia, Canada and Switzerland and they are currently being piloted in

England.

Some of Scotland's most senior police officers agreed that DCRs could be an

option, according to the SFF report.

" While it was acknowledged that there was currently considerable public concern,

and possible political avoidance, many accepted that DCRs had been effective in

other countries, particularly where they addressed public injecting and reduced

public nuisance, " according to the report.

_________________________________________________________________

It’s easy to add contacts from Facebook and other social sites through Windows

Live™ Messenger. Learn how.

https://www.invite2messenger.net/im/?source=TXT_EML_WLH_LearnHow

[Guest guest]

http://news.scotsman.com/health/39Shooting-galleries39-plan-urged-to.4163984.jp

'Shooting galleries' plan urged to cut down drug deaths

GalleryPublished Date: 09 June 2008

By

Social Affairs Correspondent

" SHOOTING galleries " , where heroin addicts can inject in a safe environment,

should be set up across Scotland to deal with increases drug use, a Holyrood

think tank has advised.

The use of drug consumption rooms (DCRs) is advocated in a report, published

today by Scotland's Futures Forum.

Authors of the report are calling for a major shift in government policy,

warning that Scotland's war on drugs and alcohol will be lost unless a radical

new approach to law enforcement and community treatment is adopted.

The report, seen by The Scotsman, challenges current drug strategies, which

target the lion's share of resources on the police and criminal justice system,

rather than education and drug prevention. Tom Wood, vice-chair of the SFF's

project, and one of the country's leading drug experts, said there was worldwide

evidence suggesting DCRs can be part of the solution.

" In Scotland, we have to face the fact that we have the highest drug death rate

in Europe. We have one of the highest rates of Hepatitis C from needle sharing.

" DCRs keep people in contact because there is the public health issue –

blood-borne viruses like Aids and Hepatitis.

" It is not just a gang hut for drug addicts to attend at their convenience. "

There are about 60 DCRs in eight countries around the world, including

Australia, Canada and Switzerland and they are currently being piloted in

England.

Some of Scotland's most senior police officers agreed that DCRs could be an

option, according to the SFF report.

" While it was acknowledged that there was currently considerable public concern,

and possible political avoidance, many accepted that DCRs had been effective in

other countries, particularly where they addressed public injecting and reduced

public nuisance, " according to the report.

_________________________________________________________________

It’s easy to add contacts from Facebook and other social sites through Windows

Live™ Messenger. Learn how.

https://www.invite2messenger.net/im/?source=TXT_EML_WLH_LearnHow