NEWS ROUND-UP
Scottish suspected drug deaths up almost 10 per cent
There were 1,146 suspected drug deaths in Scotland last year, according to the latest Police Scotland statistics – 8 per cent up on 2024’ s figure of 1,065. Men accounted for two thirds of the suspected drug deaths, with the majority of fatalities among people aged between 35 and 54.
The highest number of deaths were in the Greater Glasgow, Ayrshire and Lanarkshire police divisions. Although the number of suspected drug deaths in the final quarter of 2025 was 15 per cent down on the previous quarter, it was an increase of 7 per cent on the corresponding period the year before.
The figures are based on reports from officers attending scenes of death, which means they are not subject to the same level of validation as the official figures published annually by National Records of Scotland – the most recent set of official statistics, for 2024, recorded 1,107 drug misuse deaths. Public Health Scotland recently warned that the‘ highly toxic and unpredictable’ drug supply across the country meant that anyone using street drugs should now assume they were contaminated with other substances.
The Scottish Government has also published its new ten-year drug and alcohol plan, replacing its national mission on drugs. The plan, which is backed by £ 160m funding for 2026-27, aims to‘ improve collaboration between government and grassroots delivery with a locally-led, accountable system, guided by clear national direction and support’.
A damning 2022 report from Audit Scotland said that delivery of drug and alcohol services in the country was overly complex, with lines of accountability‘ not always clear’ – making spending and value for money difficult to track. A subsequent Audit Scotland report said that while some headway had since been made, the country’ s ongoing drugs death crisis had led to the government shifting attention away from alcohol harm.
One key priority for the new plan is to expand treatment standards to include alcohol and all drugs,
Social Market Foundation: Estimated impact of Scottish drugs crisis.
the Scottish Government states, while there will also be a‘ renewed focus’ on prevention, and support for residential rehab – especially‘ improving pathways through detox, crisis care and stabilisation’.
Meanwhile, a new report from the Social Market Foundation( SMF) think tank estimates Scotland’ s drug harm is losing the country up to £ 6bn a year, with the cost to the country’ s public sector around £ 1bn per year and the wider social and economic harms increasing the figure to as much as £ 5.7bn. Suspected drug deaths in Scotland: October to December 2025 and Preventing harm, promoting recovery: Scotland ' s alcohol & drugs strategic plan 2026 – 2035 available at www. gov. scot
Harm, hardship and the price of inaction available at www. smf. co. uk
See feature, page 8
Charities call for Welsh action on alcohol harm
FIVE CHARITIES HAVE ISSUED A JOINT CALL TO ACTION urging the next Welsh government to prioritise policies that address alcohol-related harm. The call, by Adfam, Adferiad, Alcohol Change UK, Barod and Kaleidoscope, comes ahead of the Welsh Senedd elections in May.
The most recent official figures, for 2023, saw the highest number of alcohol specific deaths ever recorded in Wales, at 562, with almost 700 further deaths classed as alcohol-related. Alcoholspecific deaths in Wales have doubled in the space of two decades, including an‘ unprecedented’ 28 per cent increase during the COVID years of 2020 and 2021. Whatever the outcome of the May elections, Wales‘ needs a renewed focus on reducing alcohol harm’, the charities state.
Alcohol-specific hospital admissions are also increasing, with more than 12,000 in 2023 and people in the country’ s most deprived areas three times more likely to be admitted for alcohol-specific conditions than those from the least deprived.
The statement calls for eight key changes, including an updated substance use strategy to provide‘ clear direction’, consistent support for families affected by alcohol use, and outreach work to identify and support vulnerable people with alcohol dependence. It also wants to see better joint working between treatment and domestic abuse services, access to safe detox, and an end to the requirement for sobriety before people are eligible for mental health support.
Action on alcohol during the next Senedd 2026-2030 available at alcoholchange. org. uk
The Loop launches London service
THE FIRST DRUG CHECKING SERVICE IN LONDON has been launched by The Loop. The initiative, which is funded by Camden and Hackney councils and supported by the Metropolitan Police, will offer‘ rapid chemical analysis of substances of concern’ alongside personalised health advice. The service will also be able to collect information on drug market trends to share with local communities, the police, health services and the hospitality and events industries.
The Loop, which has been carrying out drug testing at festivals and events for more than a decade, launched the UK’ s first regular drug checking service in Bristol in early 2024 – with both the Bristol and London services licensed by the Home Office. The new London service will‘ aim to reach and work with people at all stages of dependency’, the charity states, offering nonjudgmental support from health professionals.
4 • DRINK AND DRUGS NEWS • APRIL 2026 WWW. DRINKANDDRUGSNEWS. COM