30 years ago Trainspotting shone a stark spotlight on Scotland’s drug problem – so why hasn’t anything changed?

Trainspotting smashed the box office 30 years ago with it’s realistic depiction of drug abuse in Scotland (Picture: Shutterstock)

Fuelled by a blistering soundtrack and a dark sense of humour, when Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting landed in cinemas on February 23, 1996, it was a box office hit like no other. 

Based on Irvine Welsh’s book of the same name, the film followed Ewan McGregor’s self-assured addict Renton and friends, as they drifted through drink, drugs and petty crime, making...