POLICE seizures of heroin, cannabis and ecstasy tablets rocketed last year in Scotland, leading to renewed calls for a different approach to the country’s drug crisis.
Official figures show the weight of heroin seized more than doubled in 2017-18 compared to the previous year, while the total weight of cannabis impounded almost doubled.
The number of ecstasy-type tablets confiscated by officers almost trebled, while crack cocaine was up almost 30 per cent.
However there was a fall in powder cocaine and amphetamine seizures.
The number of drug deaths hit a record high in 2017, with 934 fatalities, more than double the number a decade ao, and two-and-a-half times the UK-wide rate of overdoses.
Drug deaths are expected to exceed 1000 in Scotland in 2018.
Opposition parties called on the SNP government to do more to tackle the problem, including safe centres prescribing heroin to help avoid public injecting and overdoses.
READ MORE: Anger at Scotland's record toll of preventable drug deaths
The Scottish Government’s latest figures showed heroin seizures at their highest level since 2013, with 118.6kg of the Class A drug found by police, compared to 54.1kg in 2016-17.
Seizures of cannabis resin soared from 322.1 to 625kg, while seizures of herbal cannabis, the dried leaves and flowers of the plant, rose from 347.9kg to 553.4kg.
Cannabis resin seizures were the highest since 2012-13 while herbal cannabis seizures were the highest since 2010-11.
The number of whole cannabis plants seized was slightly down from 683 to 648.
There were also approximately 25,400 ecstasy-type tablets seized, compared to 8,600 the previous year, the highest level since 2012-13.
Officers also seized 6.7kg of crack cocaine in 2017-18, up from 5.2kg the previous year.
This was the most crack cocaine seized since 2010-11.
Cocaine powder seizures fell from 120.3 to 74.4kg, one of lowest levels on record.
Amphetamines seizures also fell, from 109.9 to 68.3kg, another historically low level.
The number of individual seizures of Class A drugs (cocaine, ecstasy, heroin, LSD, methadone and morphine) have increased from 1051 in 2014-15 to 1600 in 2017-18.
The change has been driven by a rise in the number of seizures for cocaine powder (up from 366 to 543 since 2014) and heroin (up from 553 to 826).
READ MORE: Blues warning as Glasgow suffers 'unprecedented' wave of drugs deaths
Tory MSP Liam Kerr praised the police for doing more to tackle drugs, but claimed the rest of the justice system was letting them down, with drug offenders given lenient sentences.
He also accused the SNP government of failing to help addicts wanting to beat their habits.
He said: “Police officers are expected to do more than ever when it comes to ridding our streets of class A drugs. They now need to be backed up by the rest of the justice system.
“Instead, we have an SNP government which is far too soft on the issue of hard drugs and refuses to get tough on drug dealers.
“Last year, the police presented the courts with hundreds of opportunities to come down on drug dealers like a ton of bricks.
“But we have an SNP administration more interested in making it easier for people to take drugs, instead of giving them the support they need to beat the habit altogether.”
Labour called on the Government to declare a public health emergency over drug abuse.
MSP Daniel Johnson said: “Simply highlighting the drugs seized isn’t enough - we need to understand the scale and impact of drug abuse in our communities.
“It’s becoming easier to access Class A drugs and other substances.
“Addiction is ruining lives and our public services find themselves already stretched dealing with the fallout through crime, disorder and health impacts.
“Scotland has the largest number of overdose deaths per capita in western Europe, and more than double the number of England and Wales.
“This must be taken seriously. The government should treat the scale of the drug crisis in our communities as a public health emergency.”
Scottish LibDem MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton called on the government to endorse “humane proposals” to establish heroin assisted treatment clinics.
He said: “There has been a huge upsurge in the volume of some of the most potent class A drugs being seized over the last year.
“Dramatic cuts to drug and alcohol services have had a lasting impact. Existing drug law enforcement strategies are failing as evidenced by the spiralling number of people dying and being hospitalised. People who misuse drugs are often among the most vulnerable in our society and ministers need to take more immediate action to reduce harm.
“Humane proposals to establish heroin assisted treatment clinics are a way of reducing harm to the individual and to society. We also need a crystal-clear commitment to stop sending people caught in possession of drugs for their own personal use to prison. It makes sense to send them for treatment and education instead of prison where one study found half of people released tested positive for drugs.”
Green MSP John Finnie called for a public inquiry into the drugs crisis.
He said: “There were over 900 drug deaths in 2017. This is around eight times the EU average, and it is feared that the figure for 2018 will be even higher. There is a lot of great harm reduction work taking place across the country, however everything suggests that the current trajectory will continue. In the face of this public health crisis we must establish every aspect of the problem and act on this evidence in order to comprehensively address it.”
Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “Substance use devastates too many families and communities across the country. We want to address that and change the provision of treatment and support for those who are most at risk. That means taking forward evidence-led measures with a focus on improving how we support those who need support and how we address the wider issues that affect them.
“In the last ten years we have invested over £784 million to tackle problem alcohol and drug use. Our new alcohol and drugs strategy will strengthen existing measures to support those vulnerable to drug and alcohol harm, while applying the full force of the law to hit the dealers who cause misery that blights the lives of so many.
“Drug enforcement, including seizures, remains a key part of Police Scotland activity, supported by the Scottish Government’s commitment to protecting the police resource budget in every year of this Parliament – a boost of £100 million by 2021.”
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