Drug deaths crisis brings untold suffering

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has today urged ministers to use every tool at their disposal to stop people dying from drugs after a new report laid bare the scale of the crisis.

An analysis of drug deaths registered in 2019 and 2020 in Scotland found that:

• 602 children were reported to have lost a parent or a parental figure as a result of a drug related death;
• Over half of people who died resided in some of the most deprived neighbourhoods;
• Two thirds of people who died were in contact with a service with the potential to address their problematic drug use or deliver harm reduction interventions in the six months before their death.

Mr Cole-Hamilton said:

“Scotland’s drug deaths crisis is bringing untold suffering for families and communities across the country. Deaths have more than doubled over the last decade; it is a public health emergency that remains the worst in Europe.

“The SNP Government must explain why earlier this year they saw fit to freeze the funding for drug and alcohol policy- a real-terms cut to the budget for critical services. I worry that those services could suffer further cuts which would seriously undermine their ability to support all those who need it.

“Ministers must use every tool at their disposal to stop people dying. This includes rolling out a full nationwide network of drug testing and safer consumption facilities- centres that are proven to keep people safe, prevent fatal overdoses and present new pathways for treatment and recovery.”