A NEW approach to tackling Scotland's drugs problem was announced today by the Scottish government.

Community Safety Minister Fergus Ewing said promoting recovery from drug problems would now be the focus of efforts to tackle abuse.

Publishing the first national drugs strategy since devolution, he said it was a "new era" in Scotland's approach to the problem.

He claimed it would cut an estimated annual £2.6billion financial burden of problem drug use to the Scottish economy.

Mr Ewing said: "This strategy is about taking control of our lives again - as individuals and as a nation."

He said there had to be a fresh approach to drugs education, including the provision of factual information on drugs to every household with parents or grandparents, better tracking of investment in drug services and their outcomes, tougher powers to seize drug dealers' assets and a new approach to achieve better quality of drug treatment in prisons.

Mr Ewing told MSPs: "Many people with problem drug use are determined to recover - we want them to have the best chance to do so."

Chief Medical Officer Dr Harry Burns and Director-General of the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency Gordon Meldrum also backed the plan.