{"id":18754,"date":"2025-02-22T17:53:26","date_gmt":"2025-02-22T16:53:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/?p=18754"},"modified":"2025-05-20T19:09:35","modified_gmt":"2025-05-20T18:09:35","slug":"new-graves-mark-a-lost-generation-in-tourist-town-ravaged-by-drugs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/2025\/02\/new-graves-mark-a-lost-generation-in-tourist-town-ravaged-by-drugs\/","title":{"rendered":"New graves mark a lost generation in tourist town ravaged by drugs"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"ssrcss-1qlkdz0-ComponentWrapper-FullWidthWrapper ey0461q0\" data-component=\"image-block\">\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-1vfya96-StyledFigure e34k3c22\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1hbb5i-BylineComponentWrapper e8mq1e90\" data-component=\"byline-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1tfo6ca-BylineWrapper e19uhciu17\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1bhyidw-ContributorContainer e19uhciu16\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-aev3hv-Container-ContributorDetails e19uhciu13\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-68pt20-Text-TextContributorName e19uhciu6\">by James Cook, BBC Scotland editor and Anton Ferrie, BBC News contributor\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/2025\/02\/new-graves-mark-a-lost-generation-in-tourist-town-ravaged-by-drugs\/bbc-logo\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-18760\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-18760\" src=\"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/BBC-logo.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"89\" height=\"40\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-xza2yt-ComponentWrapper ep2nwvo1\" data-component=\"metadata-block\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-13nu8ri-GroupChildrenForWrapping eh44mf02\">\n<ul>\n<li class=\"ssrcss-30fcoe-MetadataStripItem eh44mf01\" role=\"listitem\">\n<div class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-1f39n02-VisuallyHidden e16en2lz0\">Published\u00a0<span class=\"ssrcss-1pvwv4b-MetadataSnippet e4wm5bw3\"><span class=\"ssrcss-61mhsj-MetadataText e4wm5bw1\"><time datetime=\"2025-02-19T21:59:59.461Z\" data-testid=\"timestamp\">19 February 2025, <\/time><\/span><\/span>Updated 20 February 2025<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-ab5fd8-StyledFigureContainer e34k3c21\"><a href=\"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/2025\/02\/new-graves-mark-a-lost-generation-in-tourist-town-ravaged-by-drugs\/2-graves\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-18758\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-18758\" src=\"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/2-graves.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1016\" height=\"577\" srcset=\"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/2-graves.jpg 1016w, https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/2-graves-640x363.jpg 640w, https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/2-graves-768x436.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1016px) 100vw, 1016px\" \/><\/a><\/div><figcaption class=\"ssrcss-179o3th-StyledFigureCaption ehbdhz00\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-y7krbn-Stack e1y4nx260\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><em>James McMillan and Lisa McCuish grew up next to each other and now they lie side by side in Pennyfuir Cemetery<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1hbb5i-BylineComponentWrapper e8mq1e90\" data-component=\"byline-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1tfo6ca-BylineWrapper e19uhciu17\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1bhyidw-ContributorContainer e19uhciu16\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-aev3hv-Container-ContributorDetails e19uhciu13\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-xza2yt-ComponentWrapper ep2nwvo1\" data-component=\"metadata-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-13mf69a-MetadataSnippetWrapper ek9haql0\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><b class=\"ssrcss-1xjjfut-BoldText e5tfeyi3\">James McMillan grew up next door to Lisa McCuish in a neat cul-de-sac on a hillside above Oban Bay. Now they lie side by side in Pennyfuir Cemetery.<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The newest headstones on the freshly-dug fringes of the graveyard tell an alarming story of a lost generation in this pretty tourist town on Scotland&#8217;s west coast.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Oban is home to just 8,000 people and at least eight recent confirmed or suspected victims of drug misuse were buried here. The youngest was 26, the oldest was 48.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The population of the town is about the same as the total number of overdose deaths recorded in Scotland in the past seven years &#8211;\u00a0by far the worst rate in Europe.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The deaths have led to calls for urgent action to tackle addiction in rural Scotland with relatives citing problems accessing vital services.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Scotland&#8217;s Health Secretary Neil Gray has told BBC News that he accepts more needs to be done to tackle drug misuse in rural areas.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-xza2yt-ComponentWrapper ep2nwvo1\" data-component=\"video-block\">\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-1vfya96-StyledFigure e34k3c22\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-ab5fd8-StyledFigureContainer e34k3c21\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-dtyrnv-MediaPlayerWrapper e1h75hkw4\" data-chromatic=\"ignore\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-bpa3r9-MediaContainer e1h75hkw3\" data-testid=\"media-player-container-landscape\">\n<div id=\"bbcMediaPlayer0\" class=\"ssrcss-199fzb3-MediaInner e1h75hkw2\">\n<div class=\"pre_play_layout_container layout\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">For James&#8217; mother, Jayne Donn, the nightmare began before dawn on a freezing night in December 2022 when she was woken by the doorbell.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;At 10 to five in the morning, when it was snowing and my Christmas tree was up, the police came to my door,&#8221; she says.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The officers had come, as Jayne had long dreaded they would, to tell her that her 29-year-old son was dead of an overdose.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">James was another victim of a crisis that has been raging across Scotland for almost a decade, claiming 1,172 lives in 2023.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;As a little boy he was blonde-haired, blue-eyed, full of mischief,&#8221; Jayne tells me in the living room of the family home.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The young James loved &#8220;fishing, music and his skateboard,&#8221; she says.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;As a man, there&#8217;s not so many good memories,&#8221; says Jayne.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;He was very mixed up. He was very angry. He was very lost.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1qlkdz0-ComponentWrapper-FullWidthWrapper ey0461q0\" data-component=\"image-block\">\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-1vfya96-StyledFigure e34k3c22\">\n<div><a href=\"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/2025\/02\/new-graves-mark-a-lost-generation-in-tourist-town-ravaged-by-drugs\/james-and-mum\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-18757\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-18757\" src=\"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/James-and-mum.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1010\" height=\"574\" srcset=\"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/James-and-mum.jpg 1010w, https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/James-and-mum-640x364.jpg 640w, https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/James-and-mum-768x436.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1010px) 100vw, 1010px\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-ab5fd8-StyledFigureContainer e34k3c21\"><em>James McMillan, who died in December 2022, with his mother Jayne Donn<\/em><\/div>\n<div><em><span class=\"ssrcss-tvuve5-StyledFigureCopyright e34k3c20\" role=\"text\"><span class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-1f39n02-VisuallyHidden e16en2lz0\">Image source,<\/span>Jayne Donn<\/span><\/em><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">James&#8217; father left the family home when he was seven.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">He struggled at school with dyslexia and mental health challenges and later began to dabble with cannabis.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">He started to get into trouble, first with teachers, then with the police.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">As he grew into adulthood, James drifted away from Oban and from his family, losing a job as an apprentice bricklayer because of poor attendance and concentration, and disappearing to England.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Jayne says she knew little about what was happening there. In truth, her son&#8217;s life was unravelling.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">He had been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, bipolar disorder and drug-induced psychosis.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">He was struggling with suicidal tendencies, taking more and harder drugs and increasingly turning to crime.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">As a result he was in and out of custody for drug offences, breach of the peace, break-ins and theft, at one point serving a two-year prison sentence.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">James died in Glasgow on 16 December 2022 &#8211; less than two days after he was released from custody following eight months on remand in Barlinnie prison.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">James&#8217; mother says she doesn&#8217;t know the details of the last charges he had faced or why he was released &#8211; but she believes more could have been done to support her son, as he had overdosed on release from custody on three previous occasions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">A Scottish Prison Service source pointed out that decisions taken at the end of a period of remand are a matter for the courts not the prison.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Jayne describes a web of organisations which dealt with her son: charities, local authorities, the NHS, addiction services, housing providers and more.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">But she says: &#8220;He was released into a city he didn&#8217;t know with no jacket, no money and nobody aware.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;He lasted less than 36 hours.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/2025\/02\/new-graves-mark-a-lost-generation-in-tourist-town-ravaged-by-drugs\/lisa\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-18756\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-18756\" src=\"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Lisa.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1016\" height=\"580\" srcset=\"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Lisa.jpg 1016w, https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Lisa-640x365.jpg 640w, https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Lisa-768x438.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1016px) 100vw, 1016px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1qlkdz0-ComponentWrapper-FullWidthWrapper ey0461q0\" data-component=\"image-block\">\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-1vfya96-StyledFigure e34k3c22\">\n<div><em>Lisa McCuish grew up in Oban.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/em><em><span class=\"ssrcss-tvuve5-StyledFigureCopyright e34k3c20\" role=\"text\"><span class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-1f39n02-VisuallyHidden e16en2lz0\">Image source, <\/span>MKC Photocreations\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Lisa McCuish grew up next to James in a street looking down on Oban Bay, where red and black Caledonian MacBrayne ferries bustle to and from the islands of the Hebrides.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Oban was recently named Scotland&#8217;s town of the year by an organisation which promotes smaller communities.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Today, Lisa&#8217;s sister Tanya is sitting in Jayne&#8217;s living room, tears in her eyes, recalling her sibling as &#8220;a larger than life character&#8221; with &#8220;a heart of gold&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;Lisa was never into drugs, you know, that wasn&#8217;t her,&#8221; says Tanya.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Things began to go wrong only after Lisa was prescribed diazepam, which is typically used to treat anxiety, seizures or muscle spasms.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;She ended up buying it off the streets because she felt she needed more,&#8221; Tanya remembers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;She kept on saying that she needed more help, more support.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Then, she says, her sister started taking heroin.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Lisa had a cardiac arrest on 13 September 2022 and died four days later in hospital in Paisley. She was 42 years old.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">She had prescription drugs in her system and also Etizolam, a benzodiazepine-type substance commonly known as street Valium because it is often sold illicitly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Tanya and Jayne take us to the spot where they both mourn, pointing out other nearby graves where recent drug death victims are buried.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">They include James&#8217;s best friend, who lies alongside him and Lisa. He was 30 when he died of a drug overdose.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;It&#8217;s just awful to think there&#8217;s at least 10 around here that we can think of,&#8221; says Jayne.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">There is no official breakdown of how many lives have been claimed by drugs in small communities such as Oban.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">We have been able to confirm that at least eight of the deaths occurred within just a year-and-a-half and were related to drugs, or are still under investigation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">This is the reality of Scotland&#8217;s drug deaths crisis in just one small community and both Tanya and Jayne say the Scottish government must do more to save lives.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;I personally believe that a lot of addiction is to do with mental health first,&#8221; says Tanya.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;There&#8217;s no continuity in support from addiction services or mental health services. There&#8217;s no link up.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Jayne, who is a drugs support worker herself, says she spent years trying to bring James home to Oban where she felt he would have a better chance of recovery and survival.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">A particular challenge, she says, was that Argyll and Bute Council offered James housing places in Dunoon and Helensburgh \u2013 both about two hours away \u2013 making it very difficult for his family to support him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The local authority said it had offered &#8220;appropriate&#8221; services to James.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The council added that it had housing services throughout the area, but could not always satisfy &#8220;individual and sometimes changing criteria&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Scotland&#8217;s Health Secretary Neil Gray says that both families have his deepest sympathies and he accepts that rural drug services could be improved.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;I think that the two cases that you&#8217;ve highlighted tell me that there&#8217;s more that can be done,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;I recognise that not everything is available in all parts of Scotland.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Mr Gray added: &#8220;We support alcohol and drug partnerships across Scotland, whether they&#8217;re in rural areas or urban areas.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;I would obviously want us to be continuing to do more to make sure that there is access to facilities and services in rural and island areas.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-buqv65-ComponentWrapper-FlourishWrapper eockrme0\">\n<div id=\"19119864\">\n<div data-component=\"include-html\"><a href=\"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/2025\/02\/new-graves-mark-a-lost-generation-in-tourist-town-ravaged-by-drugs\/deaths\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-18755\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-18755\" src=\"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Deaths.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"918\" height=\"674\" srcset=\"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Deaths.jpg 918w, https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Deaths-640x470.jpg 640w, https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Deaths-768x564.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 918px) 100vw, 918px\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">For Justina Murray, chief executive of the charity Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs, the problems do not lie with strategy or funding but with culture and delivery, especially in NHS addiction services.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;People want services that are in their own community, they can access when they need them, they&#8217;re going to be met at the door by a friendly face,&#8221; she says.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;They&#8217;re going to be treated with dignity and respect.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;That&#8217;s not necessarily the experience you&#8217;re going to have engaging with an NHS or a statutory treatment service.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">According to the latest available figures, released in September 2024, there is capacity for 513 residential rehabilitation beds in Scotland, across 25 facilities.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Only 11 of those beds are available in what are considered by the Scottish government to be very remote rural areas, although the majority of facilities do accept referrals from any part of Scotland.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">I ask Jayne and Tanya about the argument that individuals and their families, rather than the state, should take more responsibility for their own choices.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;Nobody sets out in life to be a drug addict,&#8221; replies Jayne.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;Nobody chooses it. The mental health issue was what led James to try and escape reality.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;He then no longer had capacity to make his choices. He wasn&#8217;t James any more.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;These are vulnerable adults who are unable to protect themselves from danger or harm,&#8221; adds Tanya.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;Why is more not being done?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;Something&#8217;s got to change,&#8221; agrees Jayne.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;We&#8217;re losing far too many young people.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>Source: https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/c20pwd04zy4o<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by James Cook, BBC Scotland editor and Anton Ferrie, BBC News contributor\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Published\u00a019 February 2025, Updated 20 February 2025 James McMillan and Lisa McCuish [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73,129,89,128,61],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18754","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-addiction","category-culture","category-environment-drug-politics","category-uk","category-youth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18754","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18754"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18754\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18754"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18754"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18754"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}