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last mo.

Scotland Drug Deaths Fall to 2017 Low, Still Worst in Europe as Synthetic Opioid Threat Grows

Early 2025 toxicology points to a sharp rise in nitazenes that could reverse progress.

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Overview

  • National Records of Scotland reported 1,017 drug misuse deaths in 2024, a 13% drop from 2023 and the lowest annual total since 2017.
  • After age adjustment, Scotland recorded 191 deaths per million people in 2024, remaining Europe’s highest rate, ahead of Estonia’s 135 per million in 2023.
  • Nitazenes were involved in 76 deaths in 2024, triple the previous year, and Public Health Scotland detected nitazenes in 38 deaths in the first quarter of 2025.
  • Opiates/opioids were implicated in 80% of deaths, benzodiazepines in 56% and cocaine in 47%, with cocaine deaths holding at a record 479 for the second straight year.
  • Deaths were heavily concentrated in deprived areas that face about 12 times the risk of richer areas, with the highest rates in Glasgow City, Dundee City and Inverclyde, as ministers tout expanded treatment, naloxone rollout and supervised consumption and drug‑checking initiatives amid opposition criticism.