Drug related deaths in Scotland double in 10 years

The number of drug related deaths in Scotland has more than doubled in 10 years and is now two and a half times the UK average.

Statistics from the National Records of Scotland show that there were 867 drug related deaths in Scotland in 2016.1 This was a 23% rise from 706 deaths in 2015 and a 106% increase from the 421 recorded in 2006.

Recent figures showed that the number of deaths from drug poisoning reached record levels in England and Wales last year.2

Scotland’s drug death rate in 2016 of 160 deaths …