Funds For Abstinence Drug Groups

The Scottish Executive has announced funding for drug treatment projects which focus on abstinence. A total of £1.7m will be given to five schemes which use techniques like detoxification and community support.

The projects are based in Edinburgh, Dundee, Dumfries and Galloway, the Forth Valley and Inverness.

Deputy Justice Minister Hugh Henry said that if successful, the approaches could be rolled out across other parts of the country.

Funding of £800,000 will be awarded to a community-based abstinence pilot in Edinburgh and the Lothians.

Dundee City Council will be given £450,000 to allow up to 120 women leaving Cornton Vale Prison each year to take part in a programme to tackle their drug problems.

A further £256,000 will be spent on a detoxification project in Forth Valley and £130,000 will go towards an abstinence programme for drug misusers in Dumfries and Galloway.

The SMART therapy programme for prisoners being released from HMP Inverness will be extended with an additional £62,000.

Mr Henry said: “The projects to benefit from funding offer a range of approaches – abstinence support, help with detoxification and help for offenders leaving prison to minimise the risk of further drug-related offending.

“A broad mix of approaches to deliver the right support at the right time for those who are determined to turn their lives around, and which if successful could be rolled out to other parts of the country.”

A Scottish Drugs Forum spokeswoman welcomed the announcement but said other types of services must be adequately resourced.

“A wide spectrum of solutions to deal with drug dependency must be in place to cope with the range of needs a person may have – and that might mean different approaches to treatment at different times of their lives,” she said.

“It is important that the new abstinence-based services are evaluated to measure their effectiveness and impact on reducing drugs harm over the longer-term, as there have been questions on this issue in the past.

“However, the overwhelming evidence is that people often choose to withdraw from substitute drugs such as methadone when other aspects of their lives start to come together – housing, relationships, education and training.”