The latest figures, covering deaths up to 2025, reveal that Scotland’s drug‑poisoning death rate remains the highest in Europe, at 2.4 times England’s rate, 1.6 times Northern Ireland’s and 1.5 times Wales’s, based on 2024 data – the most recent year for which all UK nations have comparable statistics.
Multi‑drug use featured in almost four‑fifths of the fatalities, with 78% of deaths involving more than one substance. Cocaine‑related deaths rose sharply, up 23% to 589 cases, underscoring a growing role for the stimulant in the country’s overdose crisis.
Health Secretary Monica Todd said the surge highlights the limits of current policy measures, despite “valued frontline workers” and existing interventions. She urged the UK Government to devolve additional drug‑policy powers from Westminster to Scotland, arguing that only a fully public‑health‑focused approach can curb the “tragic loss of life.”
Todd added that the Scottish Government is already “using every lever available through our devolved powers,” but she stressed that further powers are essential to treat drug harms comprehensively. The call comes as officials grapple with how to translate the stark statistics into effective prevention and treatment strategies.
The rise in deaths follows a period of intensified public‑health campaigns and law‑enforcement efforts aimed at reducing supply and demand. However, the new data suggest that these measures have not yet stemmed the tide, prompting renewed debate over the balance of health‑ versus criminal‑justice‑based responses to drug misuse.