He was Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Glasgow region from 2011 to 2016, serving as Scottish Labour's frontbench spokesperson on social justice, the constitution and equalities and as Chair of the Trades Union Group of Labour MSPs.

On three occasions when elected Drew Smith refused to cross picket lines to attend debates at Holyrood.

On 20 March 2013 he spoke at a rally of public sector workers led by the Public and Commercial Services Union and the Scottish TUC in Glasgow's St Enoch Square instead of attending a parliamentary debate on the dispute and advocated a boycott of Labour MSPs from attending Parliament.

In 2013, Smith declared his support for a "soft opt-out" system of organ donation in Scotland, akin to that endorsed by Welsh Labour.

After retiring as an MSP, Smith worked for the GMB trade union.