SNP Councillor thrown out of meeting following heated exchange with drugs campaigners

FAVOR UK Chief Executive, Annemarie Ward, has criticised SNP Councillor for Springburn and Robroyston Graham Campbell, as she believed he hadn’t supported their campaign after members of FAVOR highlighted the difficulties drug users face getting help.

A heated ending to the meeting between drugs campaigners and politicians in Glasgow ended in a row, before Campbell was asked to leave.

Favor – Faces And Voices Of Recovery – claimed there is still a “postcode lottery” in terms of treatment for drug users, with referrals to residential rehabilitation centres branded “inconsistent”

It published its report a year after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross carried out a rare joint visit to a community group in Glasgow set up to try to help addicts.

They are calling for better support for drug users to access treatment with figures from National Records of Scotland showing 1,330 people lost their lives to drug misuse in Scotland in 2021, a drop of one percent from the previous year.

Marie Ward asked Campbell to leave the meeting as she feels Glasgow’s first African-Caribbean Councillor hasn’t given any help in getting more access for treatment saying, “He showed up at two events over the last three years, he’s barely spoken a word during those events or offered any support.

“For him to stand up and say he’s supported the campaign since it’s started is laughable and beyond lies and manipulation. To lie like that is complete brass neck.”

Campbell felt the decision to chuck him out the meeting wasn’t justified saying, “I thought it was over the top, I wasn’t treated like that by the others, I can handle criticism and expected to hear it after the views that FAVOR has expressed before.”

In a report published today (21 November), Ward was concerned that some people have been waiting years for appointments with recovery services. Engagement with Alcohol & Drug Recovery Services are inconsistent in their provision of support to service users. In many cases, people have not been provided with appointments for several months, and sometimes years.

In July 2019, it was revealed that there were 1,187 drug-related deaths in Scotland the previous year. That fact shocked and embarrassed the country. Various theories were put forward to try and explain the catalyst of the situation. The suggested causes included the impact of poverty, the ongoing effect of stigma, an aging population and many others.

However, while these theories may explain in part why drug deaths have increased, they do not explain why Scotland’s drug death figures have rapidly become worse than every other country across the UK and Europe. At this time, FAVOR UK was asked to help. In August 2019, a candle-lit vigil was held in George Square, to commemorate not only those who had died, but also the bereaved families.

One person after another spoke for the first time of their loss, while finding some comfort in the knowledge that they were not alone. These people spoke not only of their own losses, but also of the huge scale of deaths in their communities. As the evening drew to a close, the mood turned to action, and FAVOR were asked repeatedly to find a way to change what was happening.

Over the next six months, FAVOR immersed itself in the areas of Glasgow most impacted by the increase in deaths. The aim was to hear from those most affected about what the problems were from their perspectives and how things could change. This engagement with the public included a series of community consultations in Possil, Maryhill and Springburn. It provided the evidence to produce a report that included 23 recommendations. which were passed to the Scottish Government and the newly launched Scottish Drug Death Task Force.