Drugs deaths in Scotland fall by 13% year on year

Figures show Scotland's drug deaths fell slightly in 2024 to a total of 1,017.

The National Records of Scotland figure shows it's the lowest annual tally since 2017 bringing the overall number in a decade to 10,884.

Last year's tally fell by 13% compared to the year before.

Responding to the figures, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said: “It is a national tragedy that 85 people every month are dying in Scotland’s drug deaths emergency.

“After the SNP slashed funding for drug services in 2015, even Nicola Sturgeon admitted her government had “taken its eye off the ball”.

“My party is fighting hard to unpick that damage, which is why we made access to drug and alcohol services a major part of our budget negotiations earlier this year, securing support for a new facility for mothers and their babies born addicted to drugs.

Louise Stewart, Director for Scotland at WithYou, says: “While today’s report shows our treatment and harm reduction approaches are beginning to make a difference, the loss of 1,017 lives in 2024 makes it clear that much more must be done.

“To truly halt Scotland’s drugs crisis in its tracks, we must urgently prioritise two key areas. First, ensuring people understand their human rights, so that they know what support is available to them and how to access it.

“Secondly, we must turn our focus to prevention. The Scottish Government needs to take ambitious and far-reaching action now to stop today’s children and young people from becoming tragic statistics in reports 10, 20 or 30 years from now.

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