Scottish government wants drug possession to be legal

The Scottish government has called for the decriminalisation of all drugs for personal use.

Scottish ministers want the UK government to change reserved laws to allow people found in possession of drugs to be "treated and supported rather than criminalised and excluded".

Legislative changes to allow the introduction of supervised drug consumption facilities are also part of the Scottish government's proposals.

Drugs laws are reserved to Westminster.

However, the Scottish government has responsibility for health and social policies around drug consumption.

Other proposals from the Scottish government include more substance checking services and increased access to emergency treatments for drug overdoses.

Scotland's Drugs Policy Minister Elena Whitham, said: "We want to create a society where problematic drug use is treated as a health, not a criminal matter, reducing stigma and discrimination and enabling the person to recover and contribute positively to society.

"While we know these proposals will spark debate, they are in line with our public health approach and would further our national mission to improve and save lives."

The Home Office previously said it had no plans to decriminalise drug possession and is also opposed to drug consumption rooms.

Since 2015, Scotland has seen year-on-year record numbers of fatal overdoses and has among the worst drug death rates in Europe.

The crisis prompted more than £250m of investment by the Scottish government into the country's addiction services.

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