Drug-Related Deaths in Scotland Reach Record High

Health officials in Scotland are alarmed as drug-related deaths in the region have more than doubled in five years. 2018 figures released today show that 1,187 people lost their lives due to drug use in one year, more than double the 527 drug-related deaths in 2013 and the highest number ever recorded.

According to National Records of Scotland, most people dying because of drugs were 35 to 44 years old. For them, the death rate was 0.66 per 1,000 people of that age group in Scotland. The next highest rate was 0.44 per 1,000 people for 45 to 54-year-olds. The highest deaths rates were recorded in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area with 33 percent of the deaths occurring there.

72 percent of those succumbing to drugs were male, while 45 percent of deaths were connected to heroine and/or morphine, while in only 13 percent alcohol played a role (multiple categories possible).