Election Manifesto Round-Up complete.

Last edition of my election manifesto summaries of the parties stated views on drugs, alcohol and other things that may have caught my eye….

SNP Manifesto – A Future Made in Scotland was published today. As you’d expect independence is front and centre – why wouldn’t it be.

They make a key pledge to Tackle the drugs death crisis by taking a radical public health approach: decriminalising drugs for personal use and introducing a framework to allow Supervised Drug Consumption Facilities.

They repeat this pledge in the more detailed section Creating a Just and Healthier Scotland which also promises to reintroduce UK-wide legislation to create a smoke free generation and to treat problem gambling as a public health matter – introducing a gambling levy.

Interestingly – alcohol use, pricing or harms are not mentioned at all.

That’s it – I’ve now looked at all of the ‘main’ parties manifestos through the lens of drug and alcohol policy commitments.

My assessment: those parties that are in / expect to be in power are proposing to maintain the status quo.

Those that are expecting to minority voices have tended to say more about needing new approaches to drug legislation, decriminalisation or taking a health rather than justice driven approach.

Alcohol is barely mentioned by anyone. Leaving alcohol treatment and harms the unspoken elephant in the public health room…..