cotland’s medication coverage minister has shared the concern of watching her personal relative’s “hard-fought” battle to restoration in a message to households supporting their family members by way of dependancy.

Elena Whitham made the admission throughout a go to to the Back on the Road challenge in Glasgow, which helps those that have suffered from dependancy again into work.

It comes as the most recent information from the National Records of Scotland (NRS) revealed there have been 1,051 drug-related deaths in 2022 – the most important ever decline, regardless of the nation nonetheless having the best such dying charge in Europe.

Ms Whitham took up the ministerial put up in March 2023 following her expertise of working with neighborhood organisations.

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The Cumnock, Carrick and Doon Valley MSP expressed her sympathies to the households affected by the drug-related deaths in Scotland, however welcomed the decline in figures from 2021, the place 1,330 deaths had been recorded.

But she mentioned tackling the disaster was a private matter for her as a consequence of understanding the on a regular basis concern of getting a liked one hooked on substances.

She mentioned: “As a family member, having experience of family members using substances and also in recovery, I understand the fear that people have every single day that something is going to happen to their loved one.

“I want to reach out to all of those families today and those communities where people have been lost, to let them know that I am committed to making sure that we continue to deliver on this, and we’re committed to getting people into the treatment that works best for them.”

She added: “I have a family member who has been in recovery for some time but that was a real hard-fought battle to get to that place.

“Having the opportunity to work in this policy area, to me, is hugely important and it’s something that I will continue to work my hardest and reach out across all the different actors involved to make sure that we can get around the table and deliver for people in Scotland.”