There were 330 suspected drug deaths in Scotland between December 2025 and February this year, according to the latest Public Health Scotland (PHS) figures – 31 per cent up on the previous quarter, and 16 per cent higher than the corresponding period last year.
Scottish Ambulance Service naloxone administration incidents, however, were 10 per cent down on the previous quarter, says the Rapid action drug alerts and response (RADAR) quarterly ​report. Drug-related attendances at emergency departments were also 6 per cent lower than the previous quarter, while drug-related hospital admissions overall were down by 21 per cent.
‘Drug-related harms remained at a high level in the most recent quarter,’ the document states. ‘While some harm indicators have decreased, they remain higher or similar to the same period in 2024 and there has been a marked increase in suspected drug deaths compared with both the previous quarter and the same period in the previous year.’ Contamination of the drug supply continues to be ‘common and widespread’, it continues, with nitazene-type opioids detected in post mortems at high levels. Earlier this year PHS warned that anyone using street drugs should assume they were contaminated with other substances.
Cocaine was the most commonly reported main drug in treatment assessments, while the benzodiazepine market ‘continued to shift’, with increasing reports of new substances and changing tablet types. The agency regularly received reports of fake medicines, the report adds, most commonly referring to benzos, gabapentin and pregabalin – these were ‘often seen in legitimate-looking packaging (including boxes and blister packs) but when tested contamination is common’.
‘The emergence and establishment of a highly toxic drug supply, in addition to widespread polysubstance use, has increased the risk of overdose and the likelihood of death, despite the estimated number of people with opioid dependence remaining stable,’ the document states. ‘A coordinated multi-agency approach that prevents drug harms and enables access to treatment, care and recovery support remains critical.’
Widening pathways of low-threshold access to care via proactive outreach alongside ‘enabling meaningful engagement in settings other than drug treatment services’ were necessary early interventions in a period of heightened risk, it says. ‘Scotland continues to be impacted by a period of rapid drug market change during which there remains a very high likelihood of sudden, localised spikes of severe harms.’
The Scottish Government published its new ten-year drug and alcohol plan last month.
Rapid action drug alerts and response (RADAR) quarterly ​report available here