Hansard

Thank you for the opportunity to update the Parliament on this week’s publication of the 2024 figures on drug-related deaths in Scotland.

First and foremost, I express my deepest condolences to the families, friends and loved ones of the 1,017 people who tragically lost their lives to drugs in 2024. Although this week’s publication is released as accredited official statistics, those 1,017 people are not simply statistics—they are parents, children, partners, siblings, friends, colleagues, loved ones and neighbours. They are lives cut far too short by the devastating impact of drugs. To all those who are suffering and who have suffered loss, I want you to know that you matter and that I am determined to continually improve how we support you.

Although it is welcome that the statistics show a 13 per cent fall in the number of drug misuse deaths from 2023, to the lowest level registered since 2017, let me be clear that the figures are still far too high. Every drug death is a profound tragedy, every drug death is one too many and every drug death is preventable.

Some aspects of the information that was released this week give us particular cause for reflection. In Glasgow, it is welcome that the statistics show a 25 per cent fall in the number of drug deaths from 2023, and we recognise the work that is being done locally to put in place strong systems of care. However, the city continues to have one of the highest rates of drug deaths in the country, which is why we are supporting further life-saving improvements, such as funding the pilot of the United Kingdom’s first safer drug consumption facility, which opened in January. The Thistle has been recognised globally for its work and, since opening, has overseen more than 4,000 injecting episodes, while also being able to respond to a number of on-site overdose incidents. I have no doubt that lives have been saved.

The increased prevalence of new highly potent synthetic substances, such as nitazenes, not only in Scotland but throughout the UK, is of real concern. We are working with Public Health Scotland, the Scottish Drugs Forum and other partners to address the threat, including by communicating vital information and advice to those who need it. I encourage members in the chamber and anyone who might be affected to familiarise themselves with that advice. I also urge anyone who carries naloxone to consider carrying extra life-saving kits with them, because we know that, due to the high potency of nitazenes, repeat doses might be required.

Last week, I saw at first hand how naloxone is administered when I visited Springburn ambulance station to mark international overdose awareness day. I learned about the Scottish Ambulance Service’s successful take-home naloxone programme, which has issued more than 4,000 kits to people who are at risk and their families, who can use them to deal with any future overdose while they wait for the ambulance to arrive. The work that has been done by the Scottish Ambulance Service, the third sector, the police and other partners has been instrumental in saving lives.

This week’s figures highlight specific demographic challenges that we must address. The deprivation gap persists, with people in the most deprived areas being 12 times more likely to die from drugs than those in the least deprived areas. The figures remind us of the critical importance of tackling the root causes of poverty and inequality and of delivering the Government’s mission of eradicating child poverty.

We must continue to address the unique challenges that are faced by women who use drugs. With that in mind, I am pleased to announce that we are directing some of the additional funding in the drug and alcohol budget for that purpose. We are providing an additional £1.1 million to Aberlour Children’s Charity to expand its intensive perinatal support services and improve support and targeted recovery services for women and their babies. In Glasgow, we are delivering £750,000 through the Corra Foundation to support the development of a whole-system solution to address the barriers that women affected by substance use often face when they are accessing services.

For young people, we know that there is much more that we need to do, which is why, later this year, we will publish a set of treatment and support standards specifically for young people aged 25 and under. To support early intervention and prevention, we are allocating an additional £750,000 to continue to fund Winning Scotland’s planet youth model of primary prevention. Primary prevention activity such as that can stop harm before it takes root, meaning fewer people losing their homes, being caught up in the justice system or having negative health outcomes. That is why our population health framework with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities focuses on primary prevention. Reducing the harm that is caused by drugs is critical for our whole-system aim of increasing—and reducing the gap in—life expectancy.

Since taking on this ministerial role in June, I have had the opportunity to visit a number of projects and services that are funded by the Scottish Government. Earlier this week, I visited the Scheme Livi, which is an innovative project that offers creative workshops as an alternative source of support for people who are impacted by drug use. That is one of more than 300 local and grass-roots projects that have been supported by Scottish Government funding that is administered by the Corra Foundation since the start of our national mission. Work such as that in the third sector is essential in tackling the drug deaths crisis, because it is a crisis that no single organisation can solve alone.

I do not shy away from this challenge. This week’s publication offers a stark reminder that 1,017 people lost their lives to drugs, and that demands that we all collectively step up our efforts. Since launching our national mission in 2021, we have taken a range of actions, but I am determined that we do more. We have made £38 million available between eight projects across Scotland to provide additional residential rehabilitation beds. The latest published figures report a rise in capacity of 88 beds, and we have expanded capacity even further since those figures were released.

We have invested more than £4 million in widening access to life-saving naloxone. Thanks to our support, the latest figures indicate that more than 80 per cent of people at risk of opioid overdose have been supplied with a kit.

Work continues on implementation of the medication assisted treatment standards. In June, Public Health Scotland’s benchmarking report showed that, across all alcohol and drug partnership areas, 91 per cent of MAT standards 1 to 5 and 75 per cent of MAT standards 6 to 10 were assessed as fully implemented. The report highlights the innovation and hard work that is being undertaken by services and people in driving change, and I take a brief moment to thank all the services and organisations in communities across Scotland that are working to save lives and providing the challenge that the Government needs to drive action forward.

I also thank those with lived and living experience and their families who work with us and so generously share their perspectives and experiences with us so that we get the support that we provide right for people who are impacted by drug use.

As I have outlined, our national mission on drugs has delivered a number of positive developments, but this week’s figures remind us that there is much more to do. To support the continued delivery of the national mission, we are providing record funding of more than £160 million for alcohol and drugs work in 2025-26. We will also accelerate the delivery of new initiatives such as the drug checking pilot project, and I will welcome ministerial counterparts from the UK and devolved Administrations to Edinburgh next week to discuss that and many other important issues. I will make it clear to the UK Government that it is imperative that it moves at pace as we seek to deliver drug checking.

As the first phase of our national mission draws to a close in 2026, our commitment to reducing deaths and improving lives will remain. Our work with partners on a plan for the next phase covering both alcohol and drugs is progressing well, and we intend to publish it at the beginning of next year. The plan will embed a more intense focus on person-centred support to aid recovery. It is our intention that funding is maintained to support the delivery of the plan, and final budget allocations will be subject to the Parliament’s agreement as part of the 2026-27 budget process later this year.

I opened my statement with thoughts for all those impacted by drugs and with condolences to the loved ones of the 1,017 people who lost their lives to drugs in 2024. Although there is nothing that we can do to bring back those whose lives have been so tragically cut short or to ease the unimaginable grief that their loved ones must feel, we will continue to do all that we can to end the devastating impacts of drugs in Scotland. Let us work together, share ideas, confront challenges and go forward with an unwavering commitment to stop deaths, reduce harm and improve lives.