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Scotland's drug-related deaths to rise by 121 in 2023
The number of deaths from drug abuse in Scotland is rising sharply.
Data for 2023 from the National Records Service for Scotland (NRS) shows that there were 1,172 deaths, an increase of 121 on the previous year, or a 12% increase.
However, this figure is the second lowest drug-related deaths since 2017.
The Scottish Government said deaths from drug misuse in the country remained at “very worrying” levels.
The increase comes after 1,051 drug-related deaths in 2022, the first significant drop in deaths in years, and was seen at the time as a sign that progress was finally being made.
But the latest figure remains much higher than the 244 deaths recorded in 1996, when comparable records began.
Scotland continues to record far higher drug-related death rates than other European countries, including the rest of the UK.
These equate to 2.7 times the 2022 rate in England and Northern Ireland and 2.1 times the 2022 rate in Wales.
In Scotland, there will be an average of 277 deaths per million people aged 15-64 in 2023.
By comparison, the next highest death tolls are Estonia with 95 deaths per million and Norway with 86 deaths per million, according to the latest data for 2022 from the European Union Medicines Agency.
What types of drugs are involved?
The most common drugs associated with deaths were opiates, such as heroin, morphine and methadone, which were involved in 937 deaths, or 80% of all deaths.
The report also identifies significant risks from psychotropic drugs such as benzodiazepines.
The number of deaths from bromazolam increased from 54 in 2022 to 426 last year.
These types of medications are used to treat anxiety disorders, insomnia, and seizures.
Deaths from a synthetic opioid called Nitazen rose from just one to 23 in a 12-month period.
Cocaine overdoses are on the rise, with 479 deaths attributed to the drug in 2023, up from 371 in 2022.
Cocaine was responsible for 41 percent of deaths, up from 6 percent 15 years ago, according to the NRS.
The death toll in 2020 reached a record high of 1,339.
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Glasgow had the highest rate of drug-related deaths in Scotland.
The data reveals that people living in the most deprived areas of Scotland are more than 15 times more likely to die from drug misuse than those living in the least deprived areas, and the age at which people die from drug misuse has risen over the past 20 years.
Those most likely to die from drug abuse in 2023 are people between the ages of 35 and 54, and men are twice as likely as women to die from drug abuse.
After adjusting for age, the highest rates of deaths from drug misuse were in Glasgow and Dundee, while the lowest were in East Renfrewshire and East Dunbartonshire.
Inverclyde, North Ayrshire, West Dunbartonshire, East Ayrshire, Renfrewshire and North Lanarkshire also had drug misuse death rates above the Scottish average.
Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said the new data was “shocking and shameful” and that drug deaths were a “national embarrassment” for Scotland.
“These damning statistics once again highlight the need for John Swinney and his Scottish National Government to finally back the Right to Recovery Bill,” he said.
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said the “devastating news” should prompt the Scottish Government to strengthen frontline services and introduce new drug testing facilities, while Gillian MacKay of the Scottish Green Party said the “root causes” of drug addiction needed to be targeted.
Scottish Health Secretary Neil Gray told BBC Scotland News that the number of drug-related deaths was “unacceptable” and the Government “recognise” that more needed to be done.
“It's a very complex picture and there's no getting away from the fact that drug deaths are significantly worse than in the rest of the UK and even the rest of Europe,” he said.
“I take responsibility for that. If we look at other countries like Portugal who have embarked on public health initiatives, we can see that investing in things like safer drinking rooms can make a difference.”
Mr Gray said the Scottish Government's plans to improve the situation included setting up safe consumption rooms in some parts of the country and increasing the number of drug testing facilities.
