Scotland is already Europe's drug-deaths capital – and without action it’s about to get worse

Considering the increased prevalence of potent synthetic opioids such as nitazenes and orphines since the last election, as well as the combination of clandestine ‘benzos’, designed to mirror prescription diazepam, the situation is likely to worsen without action.

Last week, the Social Market Foundation estimated the cost of the Scottish drug crisis is as high as £5.8 billion, demonstrating dire economic consequences as well as the tragic loss of life.

READ MORE: Drug deaths fall to lowest level in eight years, as opiate and cocaine rates revealed

A public health emergency looms

The Scottish Government has released a nine-year plan to address the situation, with the strategy underpinned by four interconnected areas: prevention and early intervention; harm reduction; treatment and care; and the wider circle of support.

Since the last election, the Scottish Government has taken evidence-informed steps to tackle the tragedy. But without quicker and bolder action, Scotland might be sleepwalking into a public health emergency, as seen in the US and Canada.

Actions taken by government include the first Home Office-licensed drug checking centre (with three more expected to follow), a diamorphine-assisted-treatment (DAT) centre where people are given medical-grade heroin under supervision; and the much-vaunted safer drug consumption facility (SDCF) in Glasgow, where people can inject drugs in the presence of a clinician.

READ MORE: Why hopeful signs about Scotland's drug-deaths crisis may be eclipsed by terrifying new threat

Poverty and deprivation

Each of those policies is rooted in evidence and should help to reduce fatalities and suffering, whilst supporting more people towards treatment, and the opportunity for rehabilitation. However, the interventions listed have only been piloted on small scales with wider implementation proving difficult.

This is partially due to drug policy being largely reserved to Westminster, though this is no excuse for the tragic loss of life every year. The disproportionate number of fatalities in Scotland is linked to several factors.

READ MORE: Edinburgh drug consumption room 'will benefit city as a whole'

These include poverty and deprivation, as well as large drug treatment cuts by the SNP in 2016, but the situation has been exacerbated by the increased prevalence of synthetic opioids including nitazenes and orphines.

Both substances are several hundred times stronger than heroin, and are often produced in laboratories in China, at a cost of a few pence per ‘hit’ when bought in wholesale amounts and imported into Scotland. In September, police discovered a drug factory producing potent synthetic drugs, ready to be sold on our streets.

Not a political football

Cranstoun, which I work for, recommended several measures in a 2023 report, which could be implemented now and would save lives. Many evidence-backed recommendations have been implemented.

However, without a wider rollout of measures like SDCFs, DAT, naloxone availability and more drug checking, the government could be fighting a losing a battle in the war against drugs.

There is still time to address the situation; cohesion and collaboration are key to ending the suffering of thousands of Scots each year.

However, using drug deaths as a political football risks progress in reducing harm and fatalities, and actually creating a public health emergency many times worse than the peak of the crisis here in 2022.

Ant Lehane is the policy lead at Cranstoun, a social justice and harm reduction charity based across the UK