The Salvation Army welcomes Right to Recovery Bill

The Salvation Army welcomes publication of the Right to Recovery Bill, which was launched today at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh.

Lee Ball, Director of Addictions at The Salvation Army, said: “We warmly welcome the provision of a Member’s Bill that is seeking to save lives by ensuring people who use substances have access to support.  

“In particular The Salvation Army welcomes:

• the enshrined right to support
• the right to a second opinion
• a duty for medical practitioners to provide their reasoning for denying a preferred type of support
• outlawing of certain reasons why people may be denied treatment.

“We see this as a positive step toward equity in treatment for people who use substances.  

“However, in our services we take what is called a harm reduction approach, which is a pragmatic and respectful approach that meets people where they are rather than requiring them to change as a condition of support. There is a strong evidence base demonstrating this approach saves lives.  

“While aspects of harm reduction are implicitly recognised in the Right to Recovery Bill published today, we would like to see that approach made explicit. We look forward to working with MSPs and other stakeholders to achieve this and to strengthen the overall presence of harm reduction within this vital national discussion.”

For more information visit www.salvationarmy.org.uk or follow @TSA_Scotland on X.