George Square Event Criticised by Politicians DRUG users are planning to stage a "cannabis celebration" in Glasgow's George Square. The annual '420 event' sees campaigners gather in a public place on April 20 to call for the legalisation of the Class B drug. Last year Glasgow Cannabis Social Club held a gathering of 150 people at Glasgow Green and five were reported to the procurator fiscal for flouting the law by lighting up in full view of police. The maximum penalty for possession of cannabis is five years in prison. [continues 448 words]
THE number of drug-related deaths in Glasgow has fallen sharply, according to new figures. Deaths from legal highs rose from 47 to 113 last year There were 138 deaths in 2013 across the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) area, 49 fewer than the previous year. In the Glasgow City Council area, the number of drug-related deaths fell from 121 to 103. A spokeswoman for NHSGGC said: "The impact of drug misuse in some of our most deprived communities has enormous consequences for the people who take drugs, their families and the local community. [continues 254 words]
Drug users and people who carry weapons are being targeted in a crime crackdown in three town centres. Police and council wardens will get tough on criminal activity in Paisley, Johnstone and Renfrew. It will see officers checking revellers in pubs and clubs with cocaine torches and swabs to spot drug use. The torches work by illuminating the hairs on the inside of the nose and around the nose area. If cocaine has been taken it shows up bright green. Hand-held metal detectors will also be deployed to catch people with knives. [continues 269 words]
YOUNG drivers are still failing to heed warnings about drink and drug driving. A poll by Co-operative Insurance revealed 55% of youngsters are still getting behind the wheel while under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Historically, drink driving has been the catalyst for motoring convictions, however the figures suggest that drug driving in Scotland is on the rise, with 41% of young drivers polled admitting to driving under the influence of illegal drugs and 51% under the influence of alcohol. [continues 122 words]
144 Under-18s In Strathclyde Charged With Drug Supplying Kids as young as 13 were among 144 alleged child drug dealers charged by Strathclyde Police last year. An Evening Times investigation found youngsters were accused of dealing in a range of drugs, including heroin, crack cocaine and ecstasy. Figures released to the Evening Times under Freedom of Information laws reveal children were accused of supplying or intending to supply in more than half of Strathclyde Police's sub-divisional areas, including Glasgow city centre. [continues 771 words]
HUNDREDS of arrests have been made, millions of pounds worth of drugs seized and dozens of illegal guns confiscated in a series of co-ordinated police operations. Forces across Scotland co-operated under the Serious and Organised Crime Taskforce in investigations and raids in the last five months which resulted in major criminals being jailed for up to 10 years. Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill welcomed the results of a progress report yesterday and pledged to continue to support bids to crack down on organised crime. [continues 241 words]
HEROIN dealers should be given life sentences, Tory leader David Cameron was told in Glasgow today. Mr Cameron was campaigning in the Glasgow East by-election with candidate Davena Rankin and he met a mother whose son died of heroin abuse and a father who had two addict sons. Janis Dobbie and Jim Docherty took previous Tory boss Iain Duncan Smith on a tour of the East End almost six years ago to let him see the problems afflicting the area. [continues 372 words]
Alcohol is ranked almost as harmful as heroin in a controversial new drug classification system proposed by a team of leading scientists. The class A drugs Ecstasy and LSD, are placed near the bottom of the league table which lists "harm scores" for different substances. Cannabis, recently downgraded to class C, occupies a middle position. It is rated more dangerous than Ecstasy, LSD and the dance floor drug GHB, but less harmful than tobacco. The table, published today in The Lancet medical journal, placed heroin at the head with an overall "harm score" of 2.7, followed by cocaine which scored 2.3. Alcohol is ranked as the fifth most dangerous drug, scoring just under 2, while tobacco is ninth, with a score of 1.7. [end]
COCAINE use in Scotland has soared in recent years - and the use of crack cocaine has also risen sharply, figures show. The figures also show the largest number of people receiving methadone, the heroin substitute, are in the Greater Glasgow area. Five years ago fewer than 600 people, or 5% of all those reporting illicit drug use, were taking cocaine. continued...This year the number increased to 1250, who accounted for 11% of all those reporting illicit drug use. Last year it was 982, or 8% of those reporting illicit drug use. [continues 210 words]
THE numbers of Scots claiming incapacity benefit for drink or drug addiction has doubled in the past eight years. Shock new figures reveal more than 17,000 Scots trying to kick their habits are claiming the benefits ... roughly one in 20 of those who are too ill to work. It comes as it's been revealed that hundreds of Scots addicts are waiting over a year for community or residential care, making it even harder for them to get back to work. [continues 240 words]
POLICE said the crackdown was the biggest drugs operations in Scottish history MORE than 100 drug dealers have been caught after what police say is one of the biggest crackdowns ever staged in Scotland. Hundreds of police officers took part in raids across Renfrewshire and Inverclyde to strike at the heart of the supply chain. Police today hailed the operation a huge success. A total of 101 dealers, who are facing a total of 863 charges, have been arrested. Drugs worth UKP154,860 were recovered and UKP112,241 in cash, although that figure is expected to soar as investigations continue. [continues 324 words]
DRUG experts in Glasgow today called for #4million to tackle Hepatitis C to be spent on educating drug addicts. They insisted the funding package announced by the Executive must be spent wisely if rates of 'Scotland's silent killer' were to be cut. Figures revealed that an estimated 20,000 people in the Glasgow area suffered from the deadly virus - 11,000 of whom had no idea they had contracted it. Yesterday, as reported in the Evening Times, Scottish Health Minister Andy Kerr announced the new funding to tackle the 'silent killer' he said was most common among drug users who shared needles. [continues 218 words]
Drug Deaths Are On The Increase With More Than 300 Last Year. So What Is Wrong With The Support Systems And How Can The We Cut The Number Of Deaths? Michelle Gallacher Talks To Leading Experts And A Former Addict To Find The Answers. Addicts could be given emergency drug kits to be used to revive them if they overdose. The radical idea is being proposed in a bid to halt the rising number of drug related deaths in Scotland. Currently being piloted in England and already hailed a success in America, the suggestion was among an array of proposals discussed at a conference in Glasgow. [continues 611 words]
THEY usually hold down good jobs and enjoy happy and fulfilled family lives. Many have excellent qualifications and seem to be in the best of health. But a shock report today exposes the double lives of Glasgow's secret heroin users. Researchers at Glasgow Caledonian University studied 100 people in the city who used the drug at least 10 times a year. But unlike previous studies, most of those taking part had qualifications, good jobs and comfortable homes. And they felt their drug use was not a problem. [continues 441 words]
MORE than half of Scotland's prisoners have taken drugs while they were in jail. And three-quarters of prisoners said mandatory drug testing had made no difference to their use of drugs in jail. The figures were disclosed in the annual survey of prisoners' views, published today by the Scottish Prison Service. Tories used the findings to claim the Executive was failing to get to grips with the problem of drugs in prison. Tory deputy leader Annabel Goldie said: "It is time for this Labour-Lib Dem Executive to stop wallowing in its complacency, adopt a zero tolerance policy on drugs and make prisons entirely drugs-free areas. [continues 226 words]
Glasgow has ditched its ban on entry to nightclubs after 2am - almost 12 years after it was introduced. Licensing bosses decided to end the curfew with immediate effect after consulting police and the licensed trade. It is understood there was only one vote separating those in favour from those against. Nightclubs regularly stay open until 3am and are given dispensation to open until 4am 12 times a year. Now late night party-goers will be able to get into venues any time before they close. [continues 367 words]
