Glasgow health chiefs are considering rehab cuts at a time when Scotland has the worst drug death rate in Europe.
Services for children living with addicts could also be axed and care home places for older people cut as part of a massive “savings” plan.
A doomsday scenario of slashing care placements for children has also been suggested, a move health bosses admit could lead to “abuse and neglect”.
Labour MSP Paul O’Kane blasted: "These cuts would devastate lifeline services across the city and put people’s lives at risk.
"The SNP government’s empty promises to improve social care and prevent drug deaths have been left in tatters.”
The Daily Record has been at the forefront of a campaign to cut the country’s shamefully high drugs death toll.
Scottish Government ministers responded to the crisis by announcing £250m to help save lives and fund services.
But the Glasgow City Health and Social Partnership has drawn up £650,000 worth of cuts in this area as part of a broader £22m savings package.
Leaked budget documents show £600,000 would come from “decommissioning” a specialist service for children affected by parental addiction.
The home-based support is for kids living with mums and dads who have alcohol and drug problems.
The document states that scrapping the “vital” service would have a “significant” impact on families.
The remaining £50,000 cut relates to alcohol and drug recovery services
Although flagged as a potential cut, NHS and social care chiefs warned:
“A reduction in this budget is in direct contrast to the development of residential rehabilitation which is a key priority of the Scottish Government.”
It explicitly admitted the cut would affect users: “This will impact on their recovery.”
“This budget has had a reduction in previous years and this further reduction will decrease our capacity to offer residential rehab step down services when the City is struggling with in drug related deaths.”
The document also revealed there has been a 70% increase in demand across Glasgow for residential rehab.
Other options include saving £3.5m in care bed purchases for older people and cuts to the “self direct” budget in social care.
The document warns: “People who have been assessed in critical need will not be able to receive a social care package of support.”
It added: “This will have serious implications for the health and well being of these service users and their families.”
Plans for cutting care places comes after Health Secretary Humza Yousaf announced £8m for extra beds to tackle delayed discharge in hospitals.
Also on the table is a plan to close a children’s residential home and a learning disability care facility, leaving users at “serious” risk of harm.
The document states that some of the £22m round of cuts would breach statutory duties, so others ideas were tabled.
One “additional” option was removing care placements from around 58 children:
“This would potentially leave children in circumstances where they are subject to abuse and neglect, and their safety if seriously compromised.”
Health chiefs also warned the plan would result in challenges from bodies including the Scottish Government, Care Inspectorate and Mental Welfare Commission.
O’Kane said: “Social care is at breaking point and Scotland is in the grips of a drug death emergency, but Councils can’t even afford to protect existing services.
“We will see dangerous cuts like this all over the country if the SNP-Green government don’t end their campaign of brutal cuts to local Council budgets.”
Lib Dem MSP Willie Rennie said: “In the midst of a drugs crisis the council is being forced to cut drugs support. During a social care crisis the council is being forced to cut social care. And when people with learning disabilities are desperate for support the council is cutting funds there too.
“This is the harsh consequence of the SNP’s funding cuts to local councils.”
A spokesperson for the IJB, which oversees the Partnership, said: “The financial challenge facing local government, including social work and social care services, is exceptionally tough.
“As part of the annual budget-setting process, a cross-party group of councillors works with officers from across the council family to scrutinise and develop options on where savings and investment could be considered.
“Officers also regularly update a financial forecast; taking into account inflation and the latest information on national settlements.
“Due to the way the Scottish Government budget directs councils to allocate resources to health and social care partnerships, the pressures facing social work services can no longer be included in the council’s budget-setting meeting next week.
“The Integrated Joint Board will set a budget for the HSCP in the months ahead and it is too early to say what options will be included in that.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “NHS Scotland funding is at record high levels and the draft 2023-24 health budget provides over £1 billion for Social Care support, meaning social care spending has increased by over £800 million compared to 2021-22.
“This is well ahead of our trajectory to increase spending by 25% (£840 million) over the life of the Parliament and despite inadequate block grant funding from the UK Government. Our settlements from the UK Government have suffered a decade of austerity with average real terms cuts of over 5%, equating to a loss of £18 billion.
“In the face of the UK Government’s cuts to our budget, we have protected councils’ budgets to provide more than £13.2 billion in the 2023-24 - a cash increase of over £570 million, or 4.5%."
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