Drug overdose deaths increased 23% last year

The number of drug related deaths in Scotland has hit a 20 year high.

867 were linked to substance abuse last year and around 30% of them were in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area.

The 23% rise makes the total the largest ever recorded and it more than double the number from 10 years ago.

Nearly 70% were men and more than 72% were over the age of 35.

Of those who died most were in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde followed by Lothian (15%), Lanarkshire (13%) and Ayrshire and Arran (10%).

Heroin and/or morphine was implicated in or potentially contributed to more deaths than in any previous year at 473 (55%).

Statisticians said Scotland's drug-death rate was higher than in all other EU countries and roughly two-and-a-half times that of the UK as a whole.

Dave Liddell, chief executive of the Scottish Drugs Forum, said the scale of the problem is a “national tragedy that requires a fundamental rethink of our approach''.

He said: “Other countries have achieved a reduction in overdose deaths by ensuring that people are appropriately retained in high-quality treatment and we must aspire to do the same.''

The Scottish Government said the statistics show an ageing group of drug users are more likely to be affected.

Public Health Minister Aileen Campbell said: “We are dealing with a very complex problem in Scotland - a legacy of drugs misuse stretching back decades.

“What we are seeing is an ageing group of people who are long-term drugs users. They have a pattern of addiction which is very difficult to break, and they have developed other chronic medical conditions as a result of this prolonged drugs use.

“Unfortunately, there is a general trend of increasing drug-related deaths across the UK and in many other parts of Europe.

“There are no easy solutions, but we recognise that more needs to be done.''

She said a refresh of the Government's drugs strategy would provide “an opportunity to reinvigorate our approach, to respond to the new challenges emerging and to be more innovative in our response to the problems each individual is facing''.

Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesman Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said the figures are “shocking''.

He said: “The Scottish Government slashed funding to drug and alcohol partnerships by more than 20%. Valuable local facilities have shut their doors. It is even clearer now that this was completely the wrong decision. These services are best placed to intervene and help avoid lives from being lost.'