Drugs

The SNP has called on the UK government to take up the recommendation of a key Westminster committee and hold a consultation on the decriminalisation of drug possession for personal use. In a new report, the health and social care committee said a health-focused and harm reduction approach would ben

A judge in Mexico has granted two people the right to use cocaine recreationally in the first ever ruling of its kind. Both claimants were granted the right to "possess, transport and use cocaine" but not sell it, Mexico United Against Crime (MUCD) said.

A holistic approach to drug addiction is necessary to free users "entrenched" in their habits, a sheriff at Scotland's only drugs court has said. Sheriff Lindsay Wood presides over Glasgow Drug Court, established in 2001 to reduce drug-related offending.

Drug possession has been “virtually decriminalised” in Scotland, with prosecutors declining to take up the vast majority of cases, The Times reports. One in 30 recorded drug offences translates into a prison term, with offenders more likely to receive a warning.

A new taskforce to tackle the rising number of drug deaths in Scotland is to be chaired by Professor Catriona Matheson from the University of Stirling. The taskforce will examine the main causes of drug deaths, promote action to improve the health outcomes for people who use drugs, and advise on fur

A senior Scottish police officer has called for an overhaul of the UK's drugs regime. Steve Johnson, an assistant chief constable, said the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 was a relic “ripe for reform” as he backed the use of safe injecting rooms, The Times reports.

The past few years have brought about the most profound shift in the global narcotics trade for decades, according to a leading figure in international drug control efforts who will give a public lecture at the University of Dundee next month. Dr Justice Tettey, chief of the laboratory and scientifi

A controversial ban on the sale of new psychoactive substances (NPS) in Ireland has succeeded in reducing health problems associated with their use, according to new research. In an article published by the journal Early Intervention in Psychiatry, researchers said the 2010 ban was followed by head

Tens of thousands of convictions for cannabis possession could be dismissed or reduced automatically under a pioneering scheme launched by prosecutors in California. District Attorneys Jackie Lacey of Los Angeles County and Tori Verber Salazar of San Joaquin County have jointly announced their parti

Heroin was the main class A drug seized by Police Scotland in 2017-18. For crimes of supply, the single force brought in 118kg of the drug, followed by 74kg of cocaine and 6.7kg of crack cocaine.

It has emerged that 500 people per month caught with cannabis in Scotland are avoiding prosecution as police issue warnings instead. Anti-drugs campaigners have criticised the policy as a “soft touch” approach but police have defended their use of recorded police warnings (RPWs) as a way