John Swinney said decriminalising possession of drugs for personal use should be considered as part of a broader response to Scotland’s rising drug deaths. His comments followed criticism from opposition parties, which accused the SNP Government of relying too heavily on harm-reduction measures and failing to change course.

Scotland recorded 1,133 drug deaths last year, an 11 per cent increase, and has a rate more than twice that of England despite shared drug laws. Swinney described the situation as unacceptable, attributing the rise partly to intergenerational poverty, trauma and harmful synthetic drugs, while noting that drug legislation remains reserved to Westminster and that Scotland’s devolved powers have limits.