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The Scottish Government recognises that the prescribing of methadone, and all forms of OST, is a matter for clinicians in consultation with individuals and that the risks of prolonged use and any possible side effects are a matter for clinicians who are bound by professional codes and evidence-based UK-wide clinical guidance on this.

The Scottish Government agreed with recommendations made by the Drug Deaths Taskforce who recommended that more choice should be available on the types of OST offered where appropriate and notes that a significant proportion of people have chosen to move from methadone and oral buprenorphine to long acting injectable buprenorphine since the introduction of the medication Assisted Treatment standards in May 2021.

However, methadone remains a recommended, evidence-based first line option for clinicians and individuals according to independent codes and clinical guidance.

Glasgow City Alcohol and Drug Partnership (ADP) has hosted 12 local community drop in engagement sessions within the Calton and surrounding area focused on allowing local residents the opportunity to raise concerns, ask questions and engage with the project leads. Local residents who use drugs and family members were also included. The drop in sessions were advertised locally via posters, via leaflet drop and via social media. Questions from the sessions informed a Frequently Asked Questions document (available here - SDCF - Frequently asked questions) and Glasgow ADP also created a ‘You Said We did’ document to demonstrate the actions taken following feedback which is shared at all in-person sessions.

These sessions were in addition to several attendances by the ADP at Community Council meetings, local Area Partnership meetings, and Local Engagement Forum meetings.

To allow ongoing community engagement, the ADP have also established the Thistle Community Forum, including local residents, local business, Police Scotland, the Recovery Community and other key stakeholders which will support people to raise concerns and facilitate a coordinated response.

In addition, Glasgow City Council organised 2 additional deep cleans of the surrounding area in response to local residents complaints about the poor state of the streets. The independent evaluation researchers were invited to attend in response to questions about how the impact of the service on the local community would be measured.

Glasgow City ADP will continue to engage with local residents, businesses and their staff in the run up to the opening of the facility and once it is established.

The Scottish Government is working closely with key stakeholders, including NHS Scotland and third sector to ensure that health professionals embed conversations about alcohol consumption and the risk it carries in developing a range of cancers, for example through Alcohol Brief Interventions, into their daily practices. The Scottish Government also worked closely with Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP) to disseminate SHAAP’s guidance, highlighting the link between alcohol and cancer, to health professionals across Scotland.

Cancer remains a national priority, within the Scottish Government and across NHS Scotland. That is why we published our Cancer Strategy for Scotland 2023-2033 along with an initial three year Cancer Action Plan for Scotland 2023 – 2026 in June 2023.

Through promoting healthy living by reducing alcohol misuse we can reduce the risk of developing some cancers. The Scottish Government published our Cancer Strategy for Scotland 2023-2033 and initial Cancer Action Plan for Scotland 2023-2026 in June 2023. There are specific actions in the action plan aimed at reducing the consumption of alcohol.

A Public Health Scotland evaluation estimated that our world-leading Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) policy has saved hundreds of lives, likely averted hundreds of alcohol-attributable hospital admissions and contributed to tackling health inequalities. We introduced an increase to MUP in September 2024.

We have commissioned Public Health Scotland to carry out a review of the evidence on restricting alcohol marketing and advertising. We will progress work in areas where evidence supports further action to address alcohol misuse and improve population health.

In November 2021, the former Minister for Drugs Policy announced a commitment to increase the number of people publicly funded to go through residential rehab per year by 300% to 1,000 by 2026.

As residential rehabilitation is a cross-cutting intervention for both alcohol and drug use, the answer provided to one of the member’s proceeding questions (ref. S6W-31156 on 21 November 2024), specific to alcohol use is also applicable to this question about drug use.

The Scottish Government has been working with Alcohol and Drug Partnerships to aid the development of clear pathways into through and out of residential rehabilitation, and has commissioned the establishment of residential rehabilitation pathway development clusters by Healthcare Improvement Scotland which has resulted in 29/30 ADPs publishing their pathway. This will facilitate an increase in publicly funded placements across the country, and support utilisation of new and renovated facilities.

We also announced the completion of a national online service directory in August which provides a nationwide list of residential rehabilitation providers for the first time, empowering individuals and their loved ones to learn about and access quality residential rehabilitation and identify the best service to support them.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

The national specification is the first stage of developing national standards and regulations for substance use services. The specification will outline the types of services which should be made available within all local areas. The second phase will be the development of standards which services will be expected to meet and the third phase will be the development of regulations on the basis of which services will be inspected. It is hoped that the regulations will be published by 2028. The completion of all three phases will support clarity and accountability on service providers as recommended within the Audit Scotland report.

The purpose of the National Specification is to provide clarity on the range of substance use support services which should be available in local areas as the first phase in developing National Standards and regulations. The specification will take into account the outcomes of the current Public Health Scotland review into the reduction of referrals to Tier 3 and Trier 4 services to ensure that all services, including Tier 1 and Tier 2, are included in suggested improvements. This will help local services to set out future strategic plans to deliver on their commitment to reduce alcohol and drug deaths and associated harms and to improve the lives of those impacted by alcohol and drugs. This will support people in being aware of the services that are available to them whether structured on more informal, such awareness is important in empowering people to make informed choices about their needs. Throughout the national specification there is emphasis on the need to provide person centred care for each individual to supporting meeting individual needs.

The Scottish Government are working to implement specific recommendations from the Drug Deaths Taskforce relating to the stigma that women very often face when accessing drug and alcohol treatment.

We are working to ensure that a gender-sensitive approach is taken across all new and developing initiatives in the National Drugs Mission, and are taking specific steps to address the particular stigma faced by women who have children.

This includes convening an expert working group to develop a good practice guide to improve the support and care that women and their infants receive during the perinatal period, which will reach across drugs and alcohol, social work and maternity and wider health services.

Cancer remains a national priority, within the Scottish Government and across NHS Scotland. Our Cancer Strategy for Scotland 2023-2033 was published in June 2023.

We know that there is a clear relationship between alcohol consumption and increased risk of developing certain cancers, including breast cancer. Successful implementation of evidence-based prevention strategies targeted at harmful health behaviours could prevent approximately 40% of cancers.

Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems in partnership with Scottish Government shared information with primary care providers on the link between alcohol and some cancers in 2022-23, and maintains guidance on this on its website.

The Scottish Government has also increased the minimum unit price of alcohol to 65 pence per unit from 30 September 2024, and commissioned Public Health Scotland to carry out a review of the evidence for potential restrictions on alcohol marketing. If the evidence supports it, the Scottish Government will consult on focused proposals at a future date.