New graves mark lost generation in drugs-ravaged Scottish town

James McMillan grew up adjacent doorway to Lisa McCuish successful a neat cul-de-sac connected a hillside supra Oban Bay. Now they prevarication broadside by broadside successful Pennyfuir Cemetery.

The newest headstones connected the freshly-dug fringes of the graveyard archer an alarming communicative of a mislaid procreation successful this beauteous tourer municipality connected Scotland's westbound coast.

Oban is location to conscionable 8,000 radical and astatine slightest 8 caller confirmed oregon suspected victims of cause misuse were buried here. The youngest was 26, the oldest was 48.

The colonisation of the municipality is astir the aforesaid arsenic the full fig of overdose deaths recorded successful Scotland successful the past 7 years - by acold the worst complaint successful Europe.

The deaths person led to calls for urgent enactment to tackle addiction successful agrarian Scotland with relatives citing problems accessing captious services.

Scotland's Health Secretary Neil Gray has told BBC News that helium accepts much needs to beryllium done to tackle cause misuse successful agrarian areas.

For James' mother, Jayne Donn, the nightmare began earlier dawn connected a freezing nighttime successful December 2022 erstwhile she was woken by the doorbell.

"At 10 to 5 successful the morning, erstwhile it was snowing and my Christmas histrion was up, the constabulary came to my door," she says.

The officers had come, arsenic Jayne had agelong dreaded they would, to archer her that her 29-year-old lad was dormant of an overdose.

James was different unfortunate of a situation that has been raging crossed Scotland for astir a decade, claiming 1,172 lives successful 2023.

"As a small lad helium was blonde-haired, blue-eyed, afloat of mischief," Jayne tells maine successful the surviving country of the household home.

The young James loved "fishing, euphony and his skateboard," she says.

"As a man, there's not truthful galore bully memories," says Jayne.

"He was precise mixed up. He was precise angry. He was precise lost."

James' begetter near the household location erstwhile helium was seven.

He struggled astatine schoolhouse with dyslexia and intelligence wellness challenges and aboriginal began to dabble with cannabis.

He started to get into trouble, archetypal with teachers, past with the police.

As helium grew into adulthood, James drifted distant from Oban and from his family, losing a occupation arsenic an apprentice bricklayer due to the fact that of mediocre attendance and concentration, and disappearing to England.

Jayne says she knew small astir what was happening there. In truth, her son's beingness was unravelling.

He had been diagnosed with attraction shortage hyperactivity disorder, bipolar upset and drug-induced psychosis.

He was struggling with suicidal tendencies, taking much and harder drugs and progressively turning to crime.

As a effect helium was successful and retired of custody for cause offences, breach of the peace, break-ins and theft, astatine 1 constituent serving a two-year situation sentence.

James died successful Glasgow connected 16 December 2022 - little than 2 days aft helium was released from custody pursuing 8 months connected remand successful Barlinnie prison.

James' parent says she doesn't cognize the details of the past charges helium had faced oregon wherefore helium was released - but she believes much could person been done to enactment her son, arsenic helium had overdosed connected merchandise from custody connected 3 erstwhile occasions.

A Scottish Prison Service root pointed retired that decisions taken astatine the extremity of a play of remand are a substance for the courts not the prison.

Jayne describes a web of organisations which dealt with her son: charities, section authorities, the NHS, addiction services, lodging providers and more.

But she says: "He was released into a metropolis helium didn't cognize with nary jacket, nary wealth and cipher aware.

"He lasted little than 36 hours."

Lisa McCuish grew up adjacent to James successful a thoroughfare looking down connected Oban Bay, wherever reddish and achromatic Caledonian MacBrayne ferries bustle to and from the islands of the Hebrides.

Oban was precocious named Scotland's municipality of the twelvemonth by an organisation which promotes smaller communities.

Today, Lisa's sister Tanya is sitting successful Jayne's surviving room, tears successful her eyes, recalling her sibling arsenic "a larger than beingness character" with "a bosom of gold".

"Lisa was ne'er into drugs, you know, that wasn't her," says Tanya.

Things began to spell incorrect lone aft Lisa was prescribed diazepam, which is typically utilized to dainty anxiety, seizures oregon musculus spasms.

"She ended up buying it disconnected the streets due to the fact that she felt she needed more," Tanya remembers.

"She kept connected saying that she needed much help, much support."

Then, she says, her sister started taking heroin.

Lisa had a cardiac apprehension connected 13 September 2022 and died 4 days aboriginal successful infirmary successful Paisley. She was 42 years old.

She had medicine drugs successful her strategy and besides Etizolam, a benzodiazepine-type substance commonly known arsenic thoroughfare Valium due to the fact that it is often sold illicitly.

Tanya and Jayne instrumentality america to the spot wherever they some mourn, pointing retired different adjacent graves wherever caller cause decease victims are buried.

They see James's champion friend, who lies alongside him and Lisa. He was 30 erstwhile helium died of a cause overdose.

"It's conscionable atrocious to deliberation there's astatine slightest 10 astir present that we tin deliberation of," says Jayne.

There is nary authoritative breakdown of however galore lives person been claimed by drugs successful tiny communities specified arsenic Oban.

We person been capable to corroborate that astatine slightest 8 of the deaths occurred wrong conscionable a year-and-a-half and were related to drugs, oregon are inactive nether investigation.

This is the world of Scotland's cause deaths situation successful conscionable 1 tiny assemblage and some Tanya and Jayne accidental the Scottish authorities indispensable bash much to prevention lives.

"I personally judge that a batch of addiction is to bash with intelligence wellness first," says Tanya.

"There's nary continuity successful enactment from addiction services oregon intelligence wellness services. There's nary nexus up."

Jayne, who is simply a drugs enactment idiosyncratic herself, says she spent years trying to bring James location to Oban wherever she felt helium would person a amended accidental of betterment and survival.

A peculiar challenge, she says, was that Argyll and Bute Council offered James lodging places successful Dunoon and Helensburgh – some astir 2 hours distant – making it precise hard for his household to enactment him.

The section authorization said it had offered "appropriate" services to James.

The assembly added that it had lodging services passim the area, but could not ever fulfill "individual and sometimes changing criteria".

Scotland's Health Secretary Neil Gray says that some families person his deepest sympathies and helium accepts that agrarian cause services could beryllium improved.

"I deliberation that the 2 cases that you've highlighted archer maine that there's much that tin beryllium done," helium said.

"I recognise that not everything is disposable successful each parts of Scotland."

Mr Gray added: "We enactment intoxicant and cause partnerships crossed Scotland, whether they're successful agrarian areas oregon municipality areas.

"I would evidently privation america to beryllium continuing to bash much to marque definite that determination is entree to facilities and services successful agrarian and land areas."

For Justina Murray, main enforcement of the foundation Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs, the problems bash not prevarication with strategy oregon backing but with civilization and delivery, particularly successful NHS addiction services.

"People privation services that are successful their ain community, they tin entree erstwhile they request them, they're going to beryllium met astatine the doorway by a affable face," she says.

"They're going to beryllium treated with dignity and respect.

"That's not needfully the acquisition you're going to person engaging with an NHS oregon a statutory attraction service."

According to the latest disposable figures, released successful September 2024, determination is capableness for 513 residential rehabilitation beds successful Scotland, crossed 25 facilities.

Only 11 of those beds are disposable successful what are considered by the Scottish authorities to beryllium precise distant agrarian areas, though the bulk of facilities bash judge referrals from immoderate portion of Scotland.

I inquire Jayne and Tanya astir the statement that individuals and their families, alternatively than the state, should instrumentality much work for their ain choices.

"Nobody sets retired successful beingness to beryllium a cause addict," replies Jayne.

"Nobody chooses it. The intelligence wellness contented was what led James to effort and flight reality.

"He past nary longer had capableness to marque his choices. He wasn't James immoderate more.

"These are susceptible adults who are incapable to support themselves from information oregon harm," adds Tanya.

"Why is much not being done?"

"Something's got to change," agrees Jayne.

"We're losing acold excessively galore young people."