Warning to drug users after Renfrewshire deaths

Drug users have been urged to be cautious by an advisory group after a number of deaths in Renfrewshire.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) and the Renfrewshire Alcohol and Drugs Partnership (ADP) are asking people who use drugs or know someone who does to be vigilant and aware of overdose risks.

Early indications suggest non-prescribed street benzodiazepines – such as etizolam – may have been involved in recent deaths in the area.

NHSGGC and the ADP have convened a problem advisory group made up of experts from health and other services to ensure early action is taken to minimise the risk of further tragedies.

People who use illicit drugs are being asked to take no more than necessary and be extremely cautious of unidentified tablets that seem stronger than usual.

They are also being urged to have someone with them when they take drugs and for a few hours after.

Dr Daniel Carter, consultant in public health medicine at NHSGGC and chair of the problem advisory group, said: “Although the cause of these deaths has not yet been established, it is important that we act now.

“We would like to remind everyone who uses illicit drugs and their friends and families of the measures they can take to minimise the risk of drug deaths or overdoses.

“Please share this important message, be extremely cautious and follow advice.

“Every death from drugs is a tragedy and I send my condolences to anyone who has lost a loved one.”

Last year drug deaths in Renfrewshire soared to a record high as statistics confirmed they had tripled between 2015 and 2020.

Sixty-seven people died as a result of using substances in 2020, rocketing from a previous high of 50 in 2018.

The advisory group has also asked drug users to make sure naloxone is available to them if they are using opiates such as heroin or methadone.

A naloxone kit – which can reverse the effects of opioids – can be accessed through the Renfrewshire Alcohol and Drug Recovery Service by calling 0300 300 1199.

The Renfrewshire ADP is a partnership consisting of the council, health and social care partnership (HSCP), Police Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue, Scottish Prison Service and the voluntary sector.

There are a number of ways people who use drugs can engage with health and social care services in order to access treatment and support.

These services are available to people regardless of which drugs they are using. In Renfrewshire, they can contact their GP, other services like housing which are already providing support to them, or the Alcohol and Drug Recovery Service.