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.
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).
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.”
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