Drug-related deaths in Scotland at highest level since records began

Drug-related deaths in Scotland are at their worst level on record and at a higher reported rate than any EU country, according to new figures.

The latest National Records of Scotland (NRS) statistics indicate there were 1,264 drug-related deaths north of the border in 2019 – a 6 per cent rise on 2018. It marks the highest number since records began in 1996.

David Liddell, head of the Scottish Drugs Forum charity, said the deaths were a “national tragedy and disgrace” – calling for more treatment programmes and the decriminalisation of drug possession.

“The statistics announced today are a grievous reminder of the human cost of the ongoing public health crisis we face in Scotland,” said Mr Liddell.

He added: “Ending this emergency must be the immediate priority for all of us and will require a concerted effort from all relevant agencies as well as political leadership and public support.”  

Heroin and morphine were involved in more deaths in Scotland than in any previous year, at 645, and more than half of the total. Methadone was involved in 560 fatalities, benzodiazepines of any form – street and prescription – in 999, and cocaine in 365.

Pete Whitehouse, director of NRS statistical services, said: “2019 saw the highest number of registered drug-related deaths in Scotland since reporting began over 20 years ago.”

Nearly 70 per cent of the deaths were men, and more than two-thirds were aged between 35 and 54. The proportion of drug-related deaths in Scotland is now approximately 3.5 times that of the UK as a whole.

In September, Westminster’s Scottish Affairs Committee called for the UK government to declare the “drug death crisis” in Scotland a public health emergency, rather than continuing to treat it as a criminal justice matter.

The committee also called for the decriminalisation of small amounts of drugs for personal use, and urged that either legislation should be brought forward at Westminster, or that these powers should be devolved to the Scottish government.

The Scottish Drugs Forum has urged the Scottish and UK governments to work together to end the “marginalisation and stigmatisation” of people with a drug problem.

“We should decriminalise the possession of all drugs and extend the current recorded police warning for cannabis possession to apply to all other drugs,” said Mr Liddell. “There is a need for leadership and a national effort to ensure this potential is realised.”

Andrew Horne, director in Scotland at drug charity We Are With You, said opioid substitution therapy was useful part of treatment for people who use opiates like heroin, but called for increased use of other substitute medications such as buprenorphine.

“Scotland considers itself a proud, progressive and socially conscious country and I consider that to be true. But these figures are at odds with our identity,” he said. “We need swift, decisive action to make a real dent in the future.”

A total of 404 Scotland’s drug-related deaths in 2019 were in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board area. There were another 163 in Lanarkshire, 155 in Lothian, 118 in Tayside and 108 in Ayrshire and Arran.