Almost 300 people die of suspected drug death in 3 months

Responding to new figures published by the Scottish Government which show that 298 people died of a suspected drug death between January and March 2023, which is a 5% increase from the same period in 2022, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader and health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP 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.    

“Scottish Liberal Democrats are calling for the immediate introduction of specialist drug commissions, for safe consumption spaces to be available across the country and the decriminalisation of drug misuse so people receive treatment instead of prison time. It’s time to stop people dying.”