SCOTLAND cannot afford to waste any time in tackling the country’s continued drug-related deaths, MSPs said in response to new figures which show that more than 1,000 people died in the first nine months of 2021. 

Police Scotland recorded 1,007 deaths that it believes were linked to drug use between January and September this year, 40 fewer than the same period in 2020.

The highest number of suspected drug deaths occurred in the Greater Glasgow region, with 265 fatalities in the first nine months of the year, followed by Lanarkshire with 98 and then the city of Edinburgh and the north-east, both with 86.

National Record of Scotland figures — where drug-related causes are listed on death certificates — show that Scotland had the highest drug-related death rate in Europe, with 1,339 people dying in 2020.

Scotland’s drugs minister Angela Constance said: “Firstly, I want to extend my deepest sympathy to all those affected by the loss of a loved one through drugs.

“While there has been a slight downturn in the number of suspected drug deaths, it is still far too high, and I am clear there is much hard work and many challenges ahead if we are to truly turn the tide on this emergency.”

Scottish Labour called for fast and decisive action to tackle the scourge of these preventable and tragic deaths.

Claire Baker MSP said: “These devastating figures are a sobering reminder of how high the stakes are – and they must be a call to action.

“We need faster and more decisive action to save lives and get people the help they need.

“The SNP must press ahead to deliver safe consumption rooms as part of a package of harm reduction policies.”