London: The Scottish government has proposed decriminalising possession of all drugs for personal use to tackle one of Europe's highest overdose death rates. The suggestion was almost instantly blocked by the Conservative UK government in London, which said it had "no plans" to soften drug laws.
The semi-autonomous Edinburgh government, led by the pro-independence Scottish National Party, said Friday that removing criminal penalties for drug possession would "allow for the provision of safe, evidence-based harm reduction services".
Scotland's death rate from drug overdoses is three times the rate in the UK as a whole and the highest in Western Europe. Last year there were almost 1,100 drug-related deaths in Scotland, which has a population of 5.5 million, according to government figures.
"The war on drugs has failed," Scottish drugs minister Elena Whitham said at a news conference alongside former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark and ex-Swiss President Ruth Dreifuss, both advocates of drug law reform.
"Our current drug law does not stop people from using drugs, it does not stop people from experiencing the harm associated and, critically, it does not stop people from dying," Whitham said.
The Scottish government said decriminalisation would free "individuals from the fear of accessing treatment and support, reducing drug-related harms and, ultimately, improving lives." It cited the example of Portugal, which ditched criminal penalties for drug possession more than two decades ago and focused on treatment.