Drugs

Ireland should decriminalise the possession of all illicit drugs for personal use and adopt a health-led approach to the use and misuse of substances, a committee of the Oireachtas, Ireland's parliament, has recommended. The joint committee on drugs use, which was established to examine and respond

The Scottish Parliament has announced the launch of a ‘people’s panel’ which will consider the question ‘What does Scotland need to do differently to reduce drug-related harms?’. The people’s panel, made up of 25 people from across Scotland who are broadly represe

A rise in steroid drugs found in Scottish prisons has been uncovered in a study led by the University of Dundee. Researchers at the University’s Leverhulme Research Centre of Forensic Science (LRCFS), part of the School of Science and Engineering, made the discovery while working in collaborat

A second residential rehabilitation service to support women and their children through recovery from addiction and substance use has been opened in Falkirk. The Scottish government has invested £5.5 million to support the development of this Aberlour Childcare Trust facility, as well as a hou

Health Secretary Neil Gray has said that the level of drug misuse deaths remains “hugely concerning”, as the latest statistics showed an increase of 121 deaths compared with 2022. Figures published by National Records of Scotland found that 1,172 people died due to drug misuse in 2023.

New initiatives to increase access to residential rehabilitation across Scotland which will be able to support more than 100 residential rehab placements have been introduced. Local Alcohol and Drug Partnerships (ADPs) that are experiencing high demand will be able to access extra funding from the n

A licence application has been submitted to the Home Office for a drug-checking pilot to be established in Glasgow. The Glasgow health and social care partnership service would be based at a hub on the same site as the UK’s first Safer Drug Consumption Facility, which is scheduled to open late

Fourteen Scottish drugs support projects have been awarded funding. Ten projects will receive continuation funding of £2.6 million, with four new residential rehabilitation initiatives receiving £1m.

The US is set to reclassify cannabis as a less dangerous drug in a move which is being heralded as a historic shift, but one which is unlikely to impact the criminal justice system. US Attorney General Merrick Garland has formally recommended that cannabis be moved from its current "Schedule I" clas

Germany has become the first major European country to legalise cannabis for personal recreational use. Under a new law which came into force yesterday, adults may possess up to 50 grams of cannabis and three plants at home and carry up to 25 grams of cannabis in public.

Lawmakers in Germany have voted to approve the partial legalisation of cannabis. The legislation advanced by the country's ruling coalition was backed by 407 parliamentarians. 226 voted against the bill and only four abstained.

Drugs minister Elena Whitham has resigned from the Scottish government for health reasons. Ms Whitham was appointed to the post in March last year, after previously serving as minster for community safety.

A state-of-the-art forensic laboratory which plays a vital role in toxicology testing has been formally opened. The purpose-built Moorepark laboratory was established with almost £6 million of Scottish government funding. It carries out toxicology tests for a wide range of substances, includin

Possessing drugs for personal use should cease to be a criminal offence, Ireland's Citizens' Assembly on Drugs Use has recommended. On Sunday, the sixth and final meeting of the Citizens' Assembly — established by the Irish government — voted on and agreed 36 recommendations that will pr

Hunter Street Health Centre in the east end of Glasgow is to be the site of Scotland's first drugs consumption room. The facility is supported by the Scottish government as a way to address the country's drugs deaths crisis.