Minister for Drugs and Alcohol Policy explained

The Minister for Drugs and Alcohol Policy is a junior ministerial post in the Scottish Government. As a result, the minister does not attend the Scottish Cabinet but reports to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care (Scotland) who does.^{[2] [3]}

The incumbent Minister for Drugs and Alcohol Policy is Christina McKelvie, who was appointed in February 2024.^[4]

History

The office was created in December 2020 by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon following the resignation of Minister for Public Health, Joe FitzPatrick. His resignation was triggered by the figures released that showed Scotland again had the worst drug death rate in Europe.^[5] Sturgeon stated that her government had taken their "eye off the ball on drug deaths" and appointed Angela Constance to take on the new dedicated role as Minister for Drugs Policy.^{[6] [7]}

Following the 2023 SNP leadership election, incumbent First Minister Humza Yousaf appointed Elena Whitham as the renamed Minister for Drugs and Alcohol Policy.^[8] On 7 February 2024, Whitham announced she resigning from the post due to her suffering from PTSD. ^[9] The following day, as part of a wider cabinet reshuffle, triggered by the resignation of Health Secretary, Michael Matheson, Yousaf appointed Christina McKelvie to the post. ^[10]

Overview

Responsibilities

The specific responsibilities of the minister are:

• Tackling and reducing the harm of drug misuse
• Supporting the rehabilitation and recovery of those living with drug addiction
• Reducing the number of deaths from drugs

The responsibilities of the new Minister for Drugs and Alcohol Policy within the Yousaf government are still to be announced.

List of office holders

Minister for Drugs Policy
Name		Portrait	Assumed office	Left office	Party	First Minister
	Angela Constance		18 December 2020	29 March 2023	Scottish National Party	Nicola Sturgeon
Minister for Drugs and Alcohol Policy
	Elena Whitham		29 March 2023	7 February 2024	Scottish National Party	Humza Yousaf
	Christina McKelvie		8 February 2024	Incumbent	Scottish National Party	Humza Yousaf John Swinney

External links

• Minister for Drugs Policy on Scottish Government website

Notes and References

1. Web site: MSP salaries . parliament.scot . 10 May 2024 . The Scottish Parliament.
2. Web site: Minister for Drugs Policy . www.gov.scot. . 22 December 2020.
3. http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1998/ukpga_19980046_en_1 Scotland Act (1998)
4. Web site: Full ministerial team confirmed . www.gov.scot . 30 March 2023 . en.
5. News: 2020-12-18. Drug deaths in Scotland: Minister Joe FitzPatrick loses job. en-GB. BBC News. 2021-06-07.
6. News: Drug deaths in Scotland: Minister Joe FitzPatrick loses job . . 19 December 2020 . 21 December 2020.
7. Web site: Sturgeon: We took our eye off the ball on drug deaths. 2021-06-07. HeraldScotland. en.
8. Web site: Full ministerial team confirmed . 2023-03-30 . www.gov.scot . en.
9. News: 2024-02-06 . Drugs minister Elena Whitham quits due to post-traumatic stress . 2024-02-09 . BBC News . en-GB.
10. News: 2024-02-08 . Neil Gray replaces Michael Matheson as Scottish health secretary . 2024-02-09 . BBC News . en-GB.