Scotland’s Drug Problem

Today, two senior officials have stood down from Reform UK after a Channel 4 News report prompts the party to investigate claims about funding.Nigel Farage's senior aide Dan Jukes and Reform's head of policy James Orr have both stood down pending the outcome of the internal probe ...  Show more

Today, Chris speaks to Sir Keir Starmer, the prime minister, about the resignation of his defence secretary John Healey, his plans for the Defence Investment Plan, and whether or not he’ll fight a potential leadership election.You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If ...  Show more

Scotland will be home to the UK’s first so-called ‘consumption rooms’ where drug users will be able to get their fix more safely. Recent stats showed that despite a fall this year, Scotland still has the highest number of drugs-related deaths per million population in Europe. Now ...  Show more

Drug-related deaths are at their highest levels in England and Wales since records began 30 years ago.Scotland has had the highest number of drug deaths in Europe for at least seven years. And the UK has even seen opioid-related deaths surpass the number of people dying in road t ...  Show more

What happens when a new drug hits the UK’s streets? And how are illicit drugs here changing – and why?James follows the trail of the first case of “zombie drug” xylazine in the UK and hears some powerful personal stories along the way.The story begins in Solihull, in the West Mid ...  Show more

The UK is now Europe’s biggest consumer of cocaine. The drug has been linked to a surge in domestic violence and middle-class users are being warned it’s not a victimless crime. How is so much cocaine getting into the country? And what can the authorities do about it?You can read ...  Show more