Scots are being sacrificed to a failed drug policy

The Scottish government’s attempts to spin the latest drugs deaths statistics are a grim response to a total failure of public policy, not to mention revealing of the attitudes of those responsible. While admitting the ongoing problem was ‘unacceptable’, the Scottish government could be found ‘welcoming an end to seven annual increases in drugs deaths’ in the opening line of its press release.

Last year, 1,330 people died as a result of drug misuse in Scotland, nine fewer than in 2020. It was the first time in seven years that the number of fatalities did not increase overall, but it also marked the second-highest annual death rate since records began. Deaths have increased among women, over 35s and residents of Glasgow, Tayside and Ayrshire. Scotland has significantly higher rates of drugs deaths by population than London, every region of England, Wales, Northern Ireland, the UK as a whole, and every country in Europe.