By Eniola Amadu
A bill proposing to give people with drug and alcohol addictions a legal right to treatment has been rejected by the Scottish Parliament.
The Right to Addiction Recovery (Scotland) Bill, introduced by former Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross, was defeated by 63 votes to 52 after the SNP and Greens opposed it.
Ross said the legislation, which would have guaranteed treatment within three weeks of diagnosis, marked “a dark day” for Holyrood.
He argued it would have saved lives in a country that has recorded the highest number of drug deaths in Europe for seven consecutive years.
Under the bill, treatment options would have included residential rehabilitation, detoxification, community-based programmes, substitute prescriptions, and other interventions recommended by health professionals.
It also sought to ensure patients could participate in decisions about their care.
However, opponents warned the plan risked overwhelming already stretched services.
Holyrood’s health committee concluded the bill was not the “correct vehicle” to tackle addiction and would require major changes to be workable.
Convener Clare Haughey said while dissatisfaction with addiction services was high, limiting the right to those with a formal diagnosis could worsen stigma and create barriers to recovery.
Drug and Alcohol Policy Minister Maree Todd, who spoke of her own family’s struggles with alcoholism, said the government supported the bill’s ambition but not its approach.
She cited “profound legal, practical and resource concerns” that could “undermine service delivery rather than enhance it.”
Green MSP Maggie Chapman shared similar concerns, warning the bill could “do real harm” despite good intentions.
Ross urged MSPs to allow the bill to progress so amendments could be made at a later stage. “Surely the fundamental thing is to save lives,” he told parliament.
Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat MSPs supported the bill.
Scottish Labour’s Jackie Baillie said the SNP and Greens should be “ashamed” for blocking it, while Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said Scotland could not “close the book on legislative change” around addiction.
Scotland recorded 1,017 drug misuse deaths in 2024, 155 fewer than the previous year, while alcohol-related deaths fell to 1,185—the lowest since 2019.
Efforts to reduce deaths include the UK’s first legal drug consumption room in Glasgow and expanded use of Naloxone, which reverses opioid overdoses.
The government has also set a target for 90 per cent of referrals to receive treatment within three weeks, with recent data showing 94 per cent met that goal.
