Cocaine-related hospital stays at highest ever  

Responding to the news that the rate of cocaine-related hospital stays has risen to its highest ever level, with the rate of drug-related hospital stays also increasing on last year, Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:  

“This is yet another distressing reminder of the scale of Scotland’s drugs crisis.

"Alongside rising numbers of hospital stays, the cocaine trade is fuelling a wave of violence in Edinburgh and across the central belt. One way to tackle that is to boost drugs services and offer help to those who misuse drugs.

“For years, Scottish Liberal Democrats have led the way in calling for transformational action. Sadly, in the time that it took other parties to catch up, thousands of lives have been lost.

“While the new consumption room in Glasgow has been a breakthrough, the Scottish Government have so much more to do.  As well as rolling out these facilities across the country, I want to see ministers rapidly implementing the support my party secured for drug services, including for a new facility to help mothers and their babies born addicted to drugs.”