Drug misuse deaths increase

1,172 people died due to drug misuse in 2023, National Records of Scotland showed: 121 deaths more than in 2022 and, after adjusting for age, 4.2 times higher in 2023 than 2000. Opiates and opioids – heroin, morphine, methadone – were implicated in 80% of deaths. It remains the worst in Europe. See also MAT needs to improve.