There were 1,172 deaths as a result of drug misuse in Scotland last year, according to the latest figures from National Records of Scotland (NRS) – 121 more than in 2022. Opiates and opioids were implicated in 80 per cent of the fatalities.
Almost nine out of ten of the deaths were accidental poisonings, with 7 per cent classified as intentional self-poisonings. People in Scotland’s most deprived areas are more than 15 times more likely to die from drug misuse compared to those in the least deprived, NRS points out, with men twice as likely to die a drug-related death than women. Glasgow and Dundee saw the highest rates of deaths, while East Renfrewshire and East Dunbartonshire recorded the lowest.
While the overall figure is up on the previous year it is the second lowest total since 2017, with 2022 recording the lowest. However, Scotland’s drug-related death rate is four times higher than it was in 2000.
‘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,’ said head of vital events statistics at NRS, Phillipa Haxton. ‘In the medium term, today’s figures represent the second lowest number of deaths in the last six years.’
The level of deaths remained ‘hugely concerning’ and underlined ‘why we will continue to do all we can to reduce harm and deaths caused by drugs’ said health secretary Neil Gray. ‘We’re taking a wide range of actions through our £250m 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.’
The government would also intensify its efforts to respond to the growing threat from ‘highly dangerous, super-strong synthetic opioids like nitazenes in an increasingly toxic and unpredictable drug supply’, he added.
The Scottish Government announced this week that extra money would be available for residential rehab places for local alcohol and drug partnerships facing high levels of demand. However FAVOR UK’s Annemarie Ward branded the announcement ‘pathological spin’ and a ‘superficial gesture’ in anticipation of the increased drug death total. The government confirmed to the Scottish Sun that officials had had access to the new figures since 13 August.
Meanwhile, the Scottish Drugs Forum (SDF) has published a new report on MAT, Medication assisted treatment – evaluation of current practice across eight health board areas in Scotland, based on extensive interviews with people in drug treatment in Scotland. The report found that some people faced delays in getting an appointment of several months, with further delays in accessing a prescription. Travel distances and costs were also a barrier, the interviewers found, as were stigmatising attitudes from GPs and pharmacists.
‘The examples of stigma and discrimination were painful to observe during the project and are difficult to read now,’ said SDF CEO Kirsten Horsburgh. ‘People’s expectations of services are often very low yet even the basic standards of care and human decency can be sorely lacking. The primary aim of all treatment should be the empowerment of people in treatment. This would be achieved by successful implementation of all ten MAT standards – of which there is some way to go.’
Drug-related deaths in Scotland in 2023 available here
Medication assisted treatment – evaluation of current practice across eight health board areas in Scotland available here