Scotland’s drug deaths remain Europe’s worst after ‘heartbreaking’ 12% rise

Scotland’s drug deaths remain the worst in Europe as ministers vowed to intensify efforts to deal with the problem, after a “hugely concerning” 12% rise in fatalities last year.

Health Secretary Neil Gray said the Scottish Government was also “working hard to respond to the growing threat from highly dangerous, super-strong synthetic opioids like nitazenes” which were involved in 23 deaths.

His comments came as new figures showed drugs claimed the lives of 1,172 Scots in 2023 – up 121 from last year’s total.

Mr Gray said: “My heartfelt condolences go to all those affected by the loss of a loved one through drugs.

“This level of deaths remains hugely concerning and underlines why we we will continue to do all we can to reduce harm and deaths caused by drugs.”

Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross branded the figures “shocking and shameful”.

The Tory added: “Drug deaths continue to be Scotland’s national shame on the SNP’s watch.

“Behind this heartbreaking increase in drug deaths are families grieving the loss of loved ones and my thoughts are with all of them.

“Scotland’s drug deaths rate is by far the worst in Europe and the SNP’s approach is simply not working.

“Several years ago Nicola Sturgeon admitted she took her eye off the ball on tackling this emergency, but deaths have continued to increase since then.”

Scottish Labour health spokesperson Jackie Baillie said: “The SNP pledged to reduce drugs deaths, but these distressing figures show just how far it has failed to live up to its promises.

“Each of these numbers represent a human tragedy and a family who are no doubt still grieving today.

“The SNP Government, which is still desperately trying to correct its own historic cuts to alcohol and drug services, must stop breaking its promises to families.”

The rise in deaths from drug misuse comes after a large fall had been recorded in 2022, with the total dropping by 21% to 1,051.

National Records of Scotland (NRS), which published the figures, said the 2023 total was the second lowest number of drugs deaths in the past six years.

Phillipa Haxton, NRS head of vital events statistics, said: “Today’s statistics show an increase in drug misuse deaths over the last year.

“The longer-term trend shows that drug misuse deaths are still much more common that they were over two decades ago.”

While drugs deaths peaked at a record 1,339 in 2020, the figures for 2023 showed that after adjusting for age, the rate of drug misuse deaths was 4.2 times higher last year than in 2000.

Glasgow City and Dundee City had the highest rates of drug misuse deaths in 2023 while East Renfrewshire and East Dunbartonshire had the lowest.

The NRS said: “People in the most deprived areas of Scotland are more than 15 times as likely to die from drug misuse compared to people in the least deprived areas.”

Opioid drugs – such as heroin and methadone – were implicated in 80% of all drugs deaths last year.

However the proportion of deaths where benzodiazepines were implicated has risen from 26% in 2008 to 58% in 2023 – with street benzodiazepines accounting for the vast majority of these cases, the NRS report said.

Last year’s figures also showed a 16% rise in drugs deaths among males, with the number of men who died rising by 113 to 805 in 2023.

There were also 367 drug deaths registered involving females, with this up by eight (2%) from the previous year.

Ms Haxton said: “The statistics also provide information about the people who are dying from drug misuse.

“The figures show us that males were twice as likely to have a drug misuse death as females. Most of the increase in the past year was due to male deaths.”

Despite the rise in deaths last year, Mr Gray insisted the Scottish Government’s “national mission” to tackle the country’s drug death problem had “led to much being achieved in a short space of time”.

Speaking on a visit to the Skylark IX Recovery Trust – a boat-building project which helps people struggling with substance use in Dumbarton, West Dunbartonshire – the Health Secretary said projects had been “delivered on an unprecedented scale” and were “making a real difference to people”.

He said: “We’re taking a wide range of actions through our £250 million national mission on drugs, including opening a safer drug consumption facility pilot, working towards the opening of drug-checking facilities and widening access to life-saving naloxone.

“We will also continue to improve access to residential rehab, where we’re on track to meet our target for additional placements, and drive the rollout of medication assisted treatment (MAT) standards to make treatment and support available more quickly.

“We’ve seen a 67% increase in funding from 2014-15 to 2024-25 and made record levels of funding, of more than £112 million, available to alcohol and drugs partnerships (ADPs).

“Additional national mission funding and support has created momentum in local areas to put services in place to save lives. We’ve now backed more than 300 grassroots projects, including the Skylark IX project in Dumbarton.”