BLOOD ON THEIR HANDS

Activists blast Sunak over his failure to initiate reforms | Drug charities call for change as matter of urgency

- MARK MCGIVERN

RISHI Sunak was slammed last night as he rejected a Scottish Government bid to save lives by decriminalising personal drug use.

Hunza Yousaf's government yesterday announced their call for a major reform to outdated drug laws treating overdose deaths as a health emergency rather than a crime issue.

They say the move is vital to tackle Scotland's drug death crisis - the worst in Europe.

But within just 10 minutes Rishi Sunak had ruled out the measure, insisting "no change" to the current failing drug laws.

Last night drugs campaigner Peter Krykant hit out, saying: "This attitude by the Tories shows that they don't give a damn about people dying from drugs.

"They are wilfully telling people who have battled drugs issues - like myself that they don't care. In my mind, they have blood on their hands.

"Deaths are rising fast in the rest of the UK and it's beyond belief that UK parties including Labour - are not backing policies that are glaringly obvious and backed by international evidence.

The storm erupted after Scotland's drugs minister Elena Whitham unveiled the Scottish Government's proposals to reform Britain's punitive drugs policy.

Whitham claimed an international coalition of experts and progressive governments could convince the UK Government to finally U-turn on the failed war on drugs.

Announcing a policy paper that formally sets down the Scottish Government's support for the decriminalisation of drugs, Whitham pledged to bring a new intensity to the debate. At the event in Edinburgh yesterday, Whitham was flanked by Helen Clark and Ruth Dreifuss former premiers of New Zealand and Switzerland - who are now leading drug reformers.

Whitham hailed the new paper as a "momentous step forward".