Drug deaths increase by 5% in first quarter of 2023, figures suggest
Suspected drug deaths in the first three months of 2023 were 5% higher than the same period last year, figures suggest.
The Scottish Government’s quarterly report on suspected drug deaths uses Police Scotland management data to provide an indication of the crisis, with 298 lives thought to be lost between January and March this year.
Analysis of the data shows the figure is 1% higher than the 295 deaths in the previous quarter – October to December 2022, while there were 13 more deaths this year than there were in the first months of last year.
The number of females thought to be affected has increased by 14% to 98 suspected deaths compared to January to March 2022.
However, males accounted for 67% of all of the suspected deaths, at 67%, a decrease from 70% in 2022.
Suspected deaths among under 25s increased slightly – by 7% – to 16 in this quarter, compared to 2022, while 66% were people aged 35 and 54.
Police divisions with the highest number of estimated deaths include Greater Glasgow with 68, Edinburgh City, 46 and Lanarkshire, 34.
In the 12 months to March 2023, suspected drug deaths fell by 7% to 1,105.
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said: “These figures are stories of lives cut short and potential extinguished. They are stories of opportunities lost, families and friends grieving.
“Every drug death is preventable, so I will never understand why Nicola Sturgeon, by her own admission, took her eye off the ball and cut the support people relied upon.
“The result was a public health disaster and Scotland’s drug deaths are now many times worse than anywhere else in Europe.”
He has called for the immediate introduction of specialist drug commissions and for safe consumption rooms to be set up across Scotland.
Sue Webber, drugs policy spokeswoman for the Scottish Tories, said the figures were “utterly inexcusable”.
She added: “Despite these deeply concerning figures, we are continuing to see precious little action from SNP ministers to get on top of this national emergency. Frontline services are still at breaking point.”
Drugs and alcohol policy minister Elena Whitham said: “My deepest sympathy goes to all those affected by the loss of a loved one from drugs.
“I am focused on supporting those affected by problem substance use, delivering real change on the ground and implementing evidence-based approaches to improve and save lives.
“We’re focused on getting more people into the form of treatment which works best for them.
“Through our £250 million national mission on drugs, we have continued to expand residential rehabilitation, supported 300 grassroots projects, and continued to drive implementation of the medication assisted treatment (MAT) standards which support the consistent delivery of safe, accessible, high-quality, drug treatment across Scotland.
“We’re also working towards introducing safer drug consumption facilities, as well as a pilot scheme to deliver drug-checking facilities.”
“This quarterly management information is part of a wider surveillance approach being undertaken by Public Health Scotland to ensure a quick response to what is happening on the ground.
“Following a previous alert on Nitazenes which pose a substantial risk of overdose, hospitalisation and death, we continue to support partners to raise awareness of the risks and to deliver vital harm reduction services, including provision of Naloxone.”