Nitazenes have been detected in 13 per cent of deaths positive for a controlled drug, according to the latest RADAR (Rapid Action Drug Alerts and Response) report from Public Health Scotland (PHS). The figures cover the period March to May this year.
In the most recent set of official annual Scottish drug death statistics, almost 200 deaths involved a nitazene – nearly quadruple the number from 2023.
Drug-related harms remain at a ‘high level’, warns PHS, with public health alerts for nitazenes, new benzodiazepines and medetomidine highlighting the ‘ongoing and evolving risks from a contaminated and unpredictable drug supply’. Medetomidine, a xylazine-type drug often sold as heroin or benzodiazepines and likely to be consumed unknowingly, represents a ‘potent new sedative in the drug supply’, PHS warns. Although suspected drug deaths and ambulance naloxone administration incidents were largely unchanged from the previous quarter, emergency department attendances were almost 20 per cent up and 6 per cent higher than the same period last year. Â
Cocaine was the most frequently reported substance across both treatment and toxicology data, with polysubstance use still a major challenge – the average number of controlled drugs detected per sample stood at four in post-mortem toxicology and six in emergency department toxicology. There were also continued reports of counterfeit drugs in legitimate-looking packaging – most commonly sold as benzodiazepines or pregabalin – where contamination is common.
Although the most recent annual drug death figures showed a 13 per cent decrease on the previous year, the country’s death rate remains Europe’s highest. The Scottish Government published its ten-year drug and alcohol action plan in March
Rapid Action Drug Alerts and Response (RADAR) quarterly ​report, July 2026 available here