LIB DEMS CALL FOR BETTER SENTENCING IN DRUG POSSESSION CASES
At their conference in Perth today, Scottish Liberal Democrats have called for a review of sentencing in cases of drug possession.
The party says Drug Treatment and Testing Orders and Community Service Orders should be used more often, as they are more effective than fines and time in jail.
Commenting after speaking in a debate at the party conference, Liberal Democrat candidate for Mid Fife and Glenrothes Callum Leslie said:
“For drug offenders, fines and jail time simply don’t work.
“In fact a fine will make it much more likely for a drug user to turn to a life of crime to fuel their habit.
“Instead, the Liberal Democrats want to see a much greater use of Drug Treatment and Testing Orders (DTTOs) and Community Service Orders (CSOs).
“The evidence shows that these methods work. Offenders are forced to pay back the community they harmed and have a chance to get drug free for good.
“Controlled diamorphine treatment is a method that works where other methods have failed.
“It stops offenders getting street heroin, which can be fatal and turns offenders to further crime to fund their habit.”
Liberal Democrat candidate for Edinburgh Central Alex Cole-Hamilton said:
“There is a great cost to society, and the public purse, if offenders are just abandoned to a cycle of crime and prison.
“DTTOs and CSOs are measures that would save public money by keeping drug abusers out of jail.
“Drug offenders should not be treated the same as murderers. We should work to treat the problem of drug abuse, not lock addicts away and condemn them to a life of crime.
“This is a problem that affects drug users, families and the wider community. It needs a holistic solution.”