Scotland's drug-related death rates remain the worst in Europe, and ministers have pledged to do more to tackle the problem after a “very worrying” 12% rise in deaths last year.
Health Secretary Neil Gray said the Scottish Government was also “working hard to address the growing threat” of highly dangerous, extra-strong synthetic opioids such as Nitazen, which have been linked to 23 deaths.
Figures published on Tuesday showed the number of deaths is set to rise by 12 per cent, with 1,172 Scots losing their lives due to drugs in 2023, 121 more than the previous year.
“My heartfelt condolences go out to all those who have lost loved ones to drugs,” Gray said.
“This level of deaths remains extremely worrying and highlights why we continue to do all we can to reduce drug-related harm and death.”
Addictions advocates said the “measurable failures” that are causing this ongoing public health emergency remain the same.
Austin Smith, from the Scottish Drug Forum, said: “The big problem is the same old story – not enough people are getting treatment and when they are, they aren't being given the comprehensive care they need to support the reasons why they turned to self-medicating in the first place.”
Data from the Scottish National Records Office showed that 80% of drug-related deaths last year involved opioid drugs such as heroin or methadone, and officials warned against placing too much emphasis on concerns that new drugs were causing the increase.
Deaths from bromazolam, a type of benzodiazepine drug used to treat anxiety disorders, insomnia and seizures, rose to 426 last year from 54 in 2022. Meanwhile, deaths from a synthetic opioid called nitazene, which has flooded U.S. markets since the Taliban disrupted the global drug trade, rose from just one in 12 months to 23. Cocaine overdoses have also soared, causing 479 deaths in 2023, up from 371 in 2022.
The Scottish Drugs Forum published its own assessment of treatment available in the country on Monday, questioning why goals to improve services and increase the number of people on treatment have not been met, three years after then Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced a “national mission” to tackle mortality from chronic and communicable diseases in the country.
The report found that Scotland is not meeting the target set by the Scottish Government in March 2022 to increase the number of people in treatment by 9% by April 2024, and similarly, the Drug Assisted Treatment Standards introduced in May 2021 to make services more accessible have yet to be fully implemented.
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“We don't get to have a therapeutic relationship with patients. We can go into the details of prescribing and dosing, but this is about empowering patients and helping them deal with whatever other issues are going on in their lives, not the many people in the report who still feel 'dependent on methadone,'” Smith said.
Mr Gray said the Government was “stepping up efforts and working hard to address the growing threat of highly dangerous and super-potent synthetic opioids”.
He added: “Through our £250 million National Mission on Drugs, we are taking a wide range of actions, including piloting safer drug consumption sites, working towards opening drug testing facilities and expanding access to life-saving naloxone.”
