Decrease In Drug-related Deaths To 1051 But Scotland Still Worst In Europe

22nd August 2023

Drugs and Alcohol Policy Minister Elena Whitham has welcomed a record fall in the number of drug-related deaths - and has reaffirmed her commitment to continue the National Mission to reduce deaths and improve lives impacted by drugs.

The figures, published by National Records of Scotland, found that 1,051 people died due to drug misuse in 2022, a decrease of 279 deaths (21%) compared with 2021 and the lowest annual total since 2017.

The rate of drug poisoning deaths in Scotland was 2.7 times as high as the UK average in 2021, the most recent year that data is available for the UK as a whole.

"Those living in the most deprived areas of Scotland are almost 16 times as likely to die from drug misuse compared to people living in the least deprived areas.

"Males are twice as likely to die from drug misuse than females, however the fall in deaths in 2022 was much larger for males than for females.

"The age profile of drug misuse deaths has become older over time, the average age of people who died from drug misuse deaths has increased from 32 in 2000 to 45 in 2022.

During a visit to ‘Back on the Road' employability project which helps people in recovery from addiction issues, Ms Whitham said:

"My sympathy goes out to all those affected by the loss of a loved one through drugs.

"While I am pleased to see that hundreds of families have been spared this agony and lives have been saved, every life lost is a tragedy and the number of deaths is still too high.

"I will never underestimate the scale of the challenge we continue to face, including responding to new threats such as synthetic opioids and stimulant use. I can see that our work across Scotland, where we have already supported 300 grass-roots projects, including ‘Back on the Road', is gathering pace, and I'm grateful to all those delivering vital services.

"As part of our £250 million National Mission on drugs, we'll continue to focus on getting more people into the form of treatment and support they need, expand access to residential rehabilitation and drive the rollout of life-saving Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Standards where we are making significant progress.

“As we highlighted in our recent Drug Law Reform proposals, the UK Government could do more to work with us to help introduce harm reduction measures."

Back on the Road is based in Bridgeton Bus Garage in Glasgow's East End and is one of hundreds of grassroots projects across Scotland helping save and improve lives.

Its delivery of training in the restoration of vintage vehicles has now returned to pre-pandemic operating level thanks to £244,000 funding over five years from the Scottish Government's Local Support Fund, administered by the CORRA Foundation.

Back on the Road and Glasgow Vintage Vehicle Trust chair Steven Booth said, "“Our aim is to do our best to ensure our participants go on to lead a more fulfilling life, taking advantage of opportunities that might lie ahead for them."

See the full report from National Records Scotland HERE