The Scottish government is looking at proposals to decriminalise all drugs in a bid to lower the sky-high death rate.

Scotland has the highest drug death rate in the UK and Europe, with around 90 people dying from narcotics per month.

Now the Scottish government is proposing a major change that would see drugs decriminalised in a bid to help people rather than punish them.

It says the aim of the move would be to “help and support people rather than criminalise and stigmatise them”.

Westminster says that such a move would be concerning and doesn’t plan to allow the Scottish government to enact the proposal.

Scotland’s drug-related deaths fell by 279 last year to the lowest total in five years, but its ministers still want to bring in the controversial policy in a bid to make that number lower still.

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