Help addicts to live drug-free

Expert says harm reduction strategies have their place but he tells MARK McGIVERN the focus must be on getting people off drugs

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THE boss of one of Scotland's oldest rehab facilities has told the Scottish Government to go "back to basics" to get more people off drugs.

Michael Trail says 800 Scots have battled back from addiction at Jericho House projects in Inverclyde and Dundee to lead drug-free lives.

But he warned Scotland has a history of drawing up noble plans to help people break free from addiction, only to allow the bold intentions to fizzle out, with disastrous results.

The Scottish Government is preparing to launch its latest drugs treatment plan, after years of failing to stem the tide of deaths.

Our death rate remains, by some way, the worst in Europe.

And the huge reliance on methadone to treat heroin addiction has meant many people stuck on “scripts” for years, even though it is accepted many mix their treatment with street drugs, often to deadly effect.

Trail does not denounce the role played in “harm reduction” strategies like methadone - but argues the most obvious way to cut the problem remains in steering people towards drug-free lives.

He said: "We have to respect the benefits of harm reduction methods, as methadone and opiate replacements keep people alive.

"But we do need to remember we can't leave people stuck on a treatment that's not a long-term solution."