Scotland's first safe consumption room is a vital step, but far from the finish line
The opening of the first safe consumption room in the UK took years of legal wrangling and political pressure.
It required a sea change in attitudes from police and prosecutors over how to respond to the drugs deaths crisis which has shamed Scotland for too many years.
When The Thistle finally opened in January, it was still a hugely controversial move opposed in some political circles.
It's aims are simple - to stop drug users from sharing needles and injecting in unhygienic environments, while at the same time being offered advice on how to access long-term rehab.
Some may now question whether its been a success given that drugs deaths rose by a third in the first three months of a year.
That means around 100 Scots are dying from substance abuse every month.
But the opening of one safe consumption room in one city was never going to solve in 12 weeks what remains a nationwide public health emergency.
We need more facilities like The Thistle, as part of a broader increase in access to rehabilitation services, if the number of deaths from drugs is to start falling year-on-year.
Politicians like Alex Cole-Hamilton are right to call Scotland's drugs deaths crisis a national tragedy.
The fact is there will be countless examples of people who could have turned their lives away from addiction if they had been able to access treatment when they most needed it.
The battle to save lives from drugs continues to rage, we must ensure it is won.
The Scottish Government must do more than talk a good game and provide the resources needed to reverse this grim tide.
Ban footy yobs
A small minority of football fans in Scotland feel they can behave any way they like at a match.
Whether through acts of violence or irresponsible use of pyrotechnics, they seem act without regard to others.
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No wonder then that SFA chairman Mike Mulraney has called for a crackdown on yobbish behaviour.
In today's Record he talks of 'no jeopardy' for those who step out of line and you can sense his frustration.
Football banning orders exist to hammer the sort of behaviour Mulraney is talking about.
But only five were issued last season despite the widespread use of pyros and high-profile incidents of disorder.
If football matches are to be safe spaces for all fans, then the few who step out of line have to know there are consequences.
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