Prevention better than cure
SHETLAND drugs and alcohol service should spend more time discouraging children from getting involved in drink and drugs before people develop addiction problems, councillors said on Thursday.
Shetland Islands Council’s services committee approved a £318,000 grant to the Community Alcohol and Drugs Service Shetland, on the promise that the Scottish government would stump up the remaining £198,000 to pay for the service for the next financial year.
CADSS is becoming busier due to the increasing levels of drug abuse in the islands and has agreed to improve the way that it monitors the work that it carries out.
On Thursday councillor Cecil Smith said he would like to see more time being spent in local schools discouraging youngsters from getting involved in substance abuse.
He was backed by councillor Alastair Cooper, who agreed: “We have a problem in Shetland. We need to address it at the front end rather than the back end.”
Mr Cooper said he was concerned that the government would not come forward with their share of CADSS funding, after NHS Shetland said that it could not confirm the cash until June.
However SIC head of community care Christine Ferguson said she was very confident that the money would be forthcoming.
Next year the council wants to look at a four year funding package for the service.
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