SNP MP slams Tories for 'undermining' Scottish drug decriminalisation plans

dailyrecord.co.uk:

An SNP MP has slammed the UK Government for "undermining" Scotland's proposals to decriminalise drug possession for personal use.Glasgow South West MP Chris Stephens told Tory minister Michael Gove there was no "no reasonable, rational, evidenced" reason for the UK Government to reject the proposals.He was speaking during Levelling Up, Housing and Communities questions in the House of Commons on Monday.The Scottish Government called for the decriminalisation of all drugs for personal supply on Friday, only for the proposals to be rejected by the Tories within an hour.Stephens asked Gove if he could help resolve the issue as the Aberdeen-native is intergovernmental relations minister.But Gove said the Scottish Government's proposals were "wrong".The Daily Record has a long running campaign to tackle Scotland's shamefully high drug death rates.The country currently has the worst rate of drug deaths in Europe.Stephens said: "The Secretary of State is on record saying he thinks public health measures, which are backed by strong scientific evidence, which follow the lead of doctors and clinicians, we should look seriously at."Drug consumption rooms and decriminalisation of possession of small quantities of drugs have been proven to work throughout the world and have now been proposed by the Scottish Government."Does the Secretary of State accept that the outright rejection we saw from the UK Government at the weekend out of hand, undermines the Scottish Government, undermines those campaigners who help drug users and undermines the union?"Gove replied: "No, I don't accept that but I think he does raise a very, very serious question."I've had the opportunity to discuss with the member for Glasgow Central (Alison Thewliss) some