INVERCLYDE'S MSP says the district's drug death rate is 'terrible' but insists the scourge is a top priority for the Scottish Government.

The SNP's Stuart McMillan says it's clear that things have to change in light of the latest figures released by the National Records of Scotland which highlight a doubling of the death toll in a decade.

The stats showed there were 23 drug-related deaths last year, compared with 10 in 2007.

Mr McMillan believes a new plan due to be published - entitled 'Substance Misuse Treatment Strategy' - will have a major impact on the drug death rate.

He said: "Any deaths as a consequence of drugs is a tragedy for the families involved, as well as the individual.

"If we look at the figures and we break the figures down it's clear that the numbers of people who are dying from drugs now are people who have been long-term drug addicts and people going back some 25-30 years.

"There was a report published last year by the NHS which acknowledged that the situation dates back to the social policy of the early 1980s.

"No matter what interventions have been put in place over the last 30 years, clearly it hasn't worked on a large number of people."

Mr McMillan says the new strategy, which focuses not just on clinical treatment but looks at the social and economic circumstances that users face, has been led by health workers on the frontline of drug addiction.

Despite the dire statistics, Mr McMillan says there are some positives which can be taken.

He added: "Ten years ago some 58 per cent of users were under the age of 25 and were reported as using heroin and now that figure has reduced to 25 per cent.

"Also there has been a drop in the number of users injecting from 28 per cent in 2006/7 to 18 per cent in 2016/17.

"So there are some positives as there has been a decline in the number of younger people that are going on to take drugs.

"Clearly the figures in terms of drugs deaths are terrible and families are left devastated.

"It's a tragedy that somebody dies as a consequence of drug misuse but in terms of people getting into drugs, the numbers are decreasing which is one positive."

Mr McMillan, who is on the board of the local drug recovery charity Moving on Inverclyde, also says he supports the SNP's call for safe consumption rooms to help reduce the number of people dying from drug overdoses and tackle a rise in HIV among drug users.

He said: "Where these facilities do exist they can help the uptake of detoxification and drug dependence treatments."