Health / Drugs scene ‘extremely unpredictable’, health official says
THE DRUGS trade is “extremely unpredictable” at the moment and is quickly shifting, according to NHS Shetland’s alcohol and drug development officer.
Wendy Henderson said new, harmful drugs are emerging and while some are reappearing which have not been seen in years.
She was speaking at a meeting of Shetland’s integration joint board (IJB), which met last week to approve directions to various services.
Henderson said that alcohol and drug partnerships were finding themselves under the “biggest budget pressures” in many years.
She referenced a “rapid shift” in the drugs landscape, which has included a rise in substances with a high potency.
The meeting also heard that while the Scottish Government is undertaking a national needs assessment, this might take two years and, given the changing landscape, some parts could end up being outdated.
Henderson said a needs assessment has been undertaken locally too.
But there is a hope that a possible change in how the Scottish Government distributes funding could have positive outcomes for Shetland.
Henderson said the government is hoping that it can issue funding based on level of need, rather than population, in the future.
“In Shetland we have a relatively low population, and a relatively high level of need, so hopefully this shift to this new funding model will be positive for us,” she said.
Some of the actions in the IJB direction for 2026/27 included continuing public and professional engagement with a view to tackling stigma, publishing the needs assessment and reviewing alcohol and other drugs education in schools.
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