'Shocking' rise in suspected drugs deaths across Scotland despite opening of safe consumption room

Daily Record

a day ago

Around 100 Scots continue to die from drugs every month despite a renewed focus on offering treatment to those who need it most.
A rise in suspected drugs deaths in the first three months of the year has been branded "shocking" amid renewed calls for the SNP Government to get a grip of the crisis.
There were 308 recorded fatalities from January to March - an increase of 33 on the last three months of 2024 - despite the opening of the UK's first safer drugs consumption room.
‌
The Thistle centre in Glasgow opened for a three-year pilot in January this year as part of the ongoing efforts to reduce the number of Scots who lose their lives.
‌
A Scottish Government report stressed that "numbers of suspected drug deaths fluctuate from quarter to quarter" and "care should be taken not to interpret movements between individual calendar quarters as indicative of any long-term trend".
But opposition politicians today warned more still needed to be done if Scotland was to lose its position as the drugs-deaths capital of Europe.
Around 100 Scots continue to die from drugs every month.
Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour health spokeswoman, said: "This shocking rise in drug deaths shows just how badly the SNP Government is failing the country's most desperate and vulnerable people.
"The SNP should focus on building proper pathways to rehab so that anyone who wants to quit an addiction has the help they need to do so.
"Each of these deaths is a tragedy – the SNP must act urgently to prevent the crisis spiralling further out of control."
‌
Health Secretary Neil Gray said: "Every death is a tragedy and through our £250 million national mission we are determined to continue our efforts to reduce harm and deaths. My condolences go to anyone who has lost a loved one. '
Gray added: 'While these figures show a quarter-on-quarter rise in suspected drug deaths, they also note a year-on-year fall.
'We want every person experiencing harm to be able to access the support they need.
‌
'We are taking a wide range of evidence-based measures including opening the UK's first safer drug consumption facility pilot, working towards drug-checking facilities and widening access to treatment, residential rehabilitation and life-saving naloxone.'
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton pointed out that '100 people a month are dying in Scotland's drug deaths crisis', saying this is 'nothing short of a national tragedy'.
Adding that 'drug misuse casts a long shadow across Scotland', he said his party 'would give our country the world-class drug services it deserves'.
‌
Mr Cole-Hamilton added: 'From rolling out a nationwide network of safer consumption rooms to new drug-checking facilities, it's time ministers listened to our calls.'
The demand for action came as the Scottish Government's figures showed that the Greater Glasgow, Ayrshire and Lanarkshire police divisions had the highest number of suspected drugs deaths in the first three months of this year, with 61, 36 and 33 such fatalities in those areas respectively.
Almost four out five of those who died were male, the figures showed, while 63 per cent of deaths occurred amongst those aged 35 to 54 years old.
There were nine suspected drugs deaths involving people aged under 25 in the period January to March, with this up from four such deaths in the final three months of 2024.