NICOLA Sturgeon is now personally involved in addressing Scotland’s horrendous levels of drug-related deaths, 1,264 at the last count ("Sturgeon announces £250m to tackle drug deaths ‘disgrace’", The Herald, January 21).
Again and again the media headline this horror story, and the Government reacts as always, throwing money at it. The funding is always for short-term and for minimalist solutions, which only address a tiny part of the problem. People with undiagnosed mental health issues continue to self-medicate on alcohol and drugs because they are in great pain. They endure the stress and burden of living in poverty, jobless, purposeless, and trying just to survive another day, in our most deprived communities, where governments of all persuasions have failed miserably to improve people’s lives.