An SNP MP has slammed the UK Government for "undermining" Scotland's proposals to decriminalise drug possession for personal use.
Glasgow South West MP Chris Stephens told Tory minister Michael Gove there was no "no reasonable, rational, evidenced" reason for the UK Government to reject the proposals.
He was speaking during Levelling Up, Housing and Communities questions in the House of Commons on Monday.
The Scottish Government called for the decriminalisation of all drugs for personal supply on Friday, only for the proposals to be rejected by the Tories within an hour.
Stephens asked Gove if he could help resolve the issue as the Aberdeen-native is intergovernmental relations minister.
But Gove said the Scottish Government's proposals were "wrong".
The Daily Record has a long running campaign to tackle Scotland's shamefully high drug death rates.
The country currently has the worst rate of drug deaths in Europe.
Stephens said: "The Secretary of State is on record saying he thinks public health measures, which are backed by strong scientific evidence, which follow the lead of doctors and clinicians, we should look seriously at.
"Drug consumption rooms and decriminalisation of possession of small quantities of drugs have been proven to work throughout the world and have now been proposed by the Scottish Government.
"Does the Secretary of State accept that the outright rejection we saw from the UK Government at the weekend out of hand, undermines the Scottish Government, undermines those campaigners who help drug users and undermines the union?"
Gove replied: "No, I don't accept that but I think he does raise a very, very serious question.
"I've had the opportunity to discuss with the member for Glasgow Central (Alison Thewliss) some of the challenges she faces in her constituency.
"We both know that drugs deaths in Scotland are running at an unacceptably high level and there is no single answer to dealing with that problem.
"But I do believe, as was outlined very clearly by politicians from both the Government and indeed the principal opposition party, that the Scottish Government's proposals are the wrong proposals at the wrong time."
Stephens then asked: "I thank the Secretary of State for that answer but the heads of all 31 UN agencies have called for possession decriminalisation and more than 30 countries have made changes which have cut deaths and incarceration.
"So there is no reasonable, rational, evidenced cause for the Government to make, or indeed the Labour Party, for rejecting the proposals out of hand.
"Can I ask him seriously, in his role as intergovernmental relations, to work with the Scottish Government, to be the grown up in his side of the room and engage with the Scottish Government and those drug campaigners?"
Gove replied: "I'm always happy [to do so] because as the honourable gentleman points out, this is a complex and also challenging and heartbreaking issue.
"I do believe that it is right that the governments work together with the NHS, with law enforcement and with others in order to deal with this challenge.
"But I believe that the specific proposals for decriminalisation of possession that are being put forward are not the best way forward."
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