THE number of people in Scotland whose deaths were linked to drugs has increased year-on-year, according to the latest statistics.
New figures from the National Records of Scotland (NRS), published on Tuesday, show that 1172 people died due to drug misuse in 2023, an increase of 121 deaths compared with 2022.
The figure is below the record high of 1339 deaths which was recorded in 2020, and is the second-lowest of the last six years.
In 2023, opiates and opioids, including heroin, morphine and methadone, were implicated in 80% of all deaths.
Almost nine out of 10 drug misuse deaths were classified as accidental poisonings, with 7% classed as intentional self-poisonings.
The NRS said that drug misuse deaths are more common than they were in 2000. After adjusting for age, the rate of drug misuse deaths were 4.2 times higher in 2023 than in 2000.
The average age of drug misuse deaths has also increased from 32 to 45 since 2000.
People in the most deprived areas of Scotland are more than 15 times as likely to die from drug misuse compared to people in the least deprived areas. The association of deprivation with drug misuse deaths is much greater than with other causes of death.
The NRS said that after adjusting for age, Glasgow City and Dundee City had the highest rates of drug misuse deaths while East Renfrewshire and East Dunbartonshire had the lowest.
The NRS report also found that males are twice as likely to die a drug-related death than females, and that the year-on-year rise was driven by male deaths.
In 2023, there were 805 male drug misuse deaths, an increase of 16% (113 deaths) from 2022. There were 367 female drug misuse deaths, an increase of 2% (8 deaths)
Phillipa Haxton, NRS head of vital events statistics, said: “Today’s statistics show an increase in drug misuse deaths over the last year. The longer term trend shows that drug misuse deaths are still much more common than they were over two decades ago. In the medium term, today’s figures represent the second lowest number of deaths in the last six years.
“The statistics also provide information about the people who are dying from drug misuse. The figures show us that males were twice as likely to have a drug misuse death as females. Most of the increase in the past year was due to male deaths.
“Glasgow City and Dundee City had the highest rates of drug misuse deaths while East Renfrewshire and East Dunbartonshire had the lowest.”
Scottish Health Secretary Neil Gray said that the level of drug misuse deaths remains “hugely concerning".
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He said: “My heartfelt condolences go to all those affected by the loss of a loved one through drugs. This level of deaths remains hugely concerning and underlines why we we will continue to do all we can to reduce harm and deaths caused by drugs."
Gray went on: "Despite this unwelcome rise, I believe that National Mission action has led to much being achieved in a short space of time, with projects delivered on an unprecedented scale making a real difference to people. We will intensify our efforts and are also working hard to respond to the growing threat from highly dangerous, super-strong synthetic opioids like nitazenes in an increasingly toxic and unpredictable drug supply.
“We’ve seen a 67% increase in funding from 2014-15 to 2024-25 and made record levels of funding, of more than £112 million, available to Alcohol and Drugs Partnerships (ADPs). Additional National Mission funding and support has created momentum in local areas to put services in place to save lives."
Gray visited the Skylark IX Recovery Trust in West Dunbartonshire on Tuesday, where people struggling with addiction are given skills training on a recovered Dunkirk landing boat.
The NRS noted that, in 2022 – the most recent year that data is available for across the UK, the rate of drug poisoning deaths in Scotland was more than double the rates of other UK countries. The rate was 2.7 times as high as the rates for England and Northern Ireland, and 2.1 times as high as the rate in Wales.
When comparing Scotland and the rest of the UK, the drug poisoning definition should be used, the NRS said.
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