In a stark example of the strained relations that currently exist between Holyrood and Westminster, each administration has organised its own summit entirely separate from the other.

The first, which has been co-organised by the Scottish Government and Glasgow council, will take place at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) on Wednesday. The second, arranged by the Home Office, takes place in the same city the following day.

The summits were arranged after the most recent official figures that 1,200 people in Scotland suffered a drug-related death in 2018, the highest number ever recorded and the worst rate per head of population in Europe.

The Rev. Brian Casey of Springburn Parish Church in Glasgow has spoken previously about the the number of his parishioners killed by drugs. Picture: John Devlin

The shocking figure, described as “a national crisis” by opposition MSPs, prompted the Scottish Government to make furthers call for the Home Office to allow a drug consumption room (DCR) to be piloted in Glasgow, where long-term addicts could be monitored by health officials.

But that position is strongly opposed by the Scottish Conservatives as well as the UK Government, which controls drug laws across the UK.

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The impasse has led to criticism from campaigners that the two tiers of government are failing to work together.

The Rev. Brian Casey, whose Church of Scotland parish in Springburn is among the most deprived in the country, has previously backed the DCR policy.

He made headlines last year after he revealed that a third of funerals he oversaw in Springburn were caused by drugs overdoses.

Mr Casey, who is addressing the UK Drugs Summit on Thursday, said: “It breaks my heart that there is hardly a day goes by when I don’t see death or pain and brokenness associated with drugs.

“As a former police officer I was on the frontline of the war on drugs and I am still fighting but now realise that the addicts are the real victims.”

Mr Casey said one of the first drug related funerals he conducted was for a two year old girl. “She swallowed a fake Valium left lying around by a mother so caught up in addiction that she didn’t notice or didn’t care,” he added.

"When I close my eyes I still see that wee girl’s pink coffin being carried into the church and her 11 year old sister give a eulogy for a beautiful little soul taken far too soon.

“I am reminded of a 16 year old girl with her life ahead of her who took one Ecstasy tablet in a moment of weakness and she died almost instantly."

Mr Casey said the stories of personal tragedy inspire and motivate him to try and help make a positive difference. “I hope members of Scotland’s two governments set aside their differences and commit to working together for the common good,” he added.

“I hope they agree that enough is enough and pledge to be bold and innovative and make real, meaningful change for people who want a hand up to help themselves. The status quo is no longer an option.”

Jardine Simpson, of the Scottish Recovery Consortium, told the Guardian: “There’s been a lot of talk about the timing of the conferences, but the real story here is still drug deaths and the desperate need to reinvent the narrative around addiction and recovery.”

Public health minister Joe FitzPatrick said: “The Scottish Government stands ready to work with the UK Government, as well as Welsh and Northern Irish colleagues, to tackle the scourge of drugs.

“What Scotland faces in terms of drug deaths is nothing short of a public health emergency. The UK event, while welcome, simply does not have the voices of people with lived experience in Scotland at its heart. We pressed the UK Government to extend their event to accommodate this, but this has not been forthcoming.

“We’ve been clear that the views and insights of people with lived experience must help shape how we tackle the high number of drug deaths in Scotland. As a result, we are have been working with Glasgow City Council to host a Scottish summit on the eve of the UK event to try and better highlight the problem in Scotland.

“It’s clear the Misuse of Drugs Act is no longer fit for purpose. To enable innovations, such as a safer drug consumption facility, the law needs to change. We hope the UK Government will listen to the call from Scotland to make the necessary changes in the law to allow this to happen.

“At the Scottish event we will also discuss the recommendations of recent reports including those of the House of Commons Scottish Affairs Committee enquiry into drug use, the Dundee Drugs Commission and the House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee.”

UK and Scottish governments 'must work together' to tackle Scotland’s drug deaths crisis