Drug use: health harm

Drug use can lead to a wide range of health problems. In addition to causing physical problems, drug use can lead to a wide range of mental health problems. This section summarises information from a number of sources including discharge data from hospitals, primary care consultations, drug-related deaths, maternity data and neonatal discharges and survey data from the Needle Exchange Surveillance Initiative. 

Drug-related general and psychiatric hospital discharges

The Public Health Scotland (PHS) publication Drug-Related Hospital Statistics Scotland 2022/23 presents information on hospital activity relating to illicit drug use in Scotland in the period from 1996/97 to 2022/23. The topics covered include: the number of hospital stays, the number and characteristics of patients, substances used and geographical variations. These data are published in a dashboard and full report.

Key points:

In 2022/23:

• There were 9,663 drug-related hospital stays. The European Age-sex Standardised Rate (EASR) of drug-related hospital stays was 182 stays per 100,000 population. This rate decreased for a third consecutive year, from a peak of 283 per 100,000 population in 2019/20.
• The highest substance-specific stay rate (81 per 100,000 population) was for opioids (drugs similar to heroin). This rate decreased for a third consecutive year, from a peak of 141 per 100,000 population in 2019/20.
• The highest patient rate (337 per 100,000 population) was observed among people aged 35- 44 years. This rate decreased for a third consecutive year, from a peak of 515 per 100,000 population in 2019/20.
• Just under half (48%) of the patients with a drug-related hospital stay lived in the most deprived areas in Scotland.
• The rate of stays for drug poisoning/overdose decreased to 21 stays per 100,000 population. This was the second consecutive decrease in overdose stay rates, and the lowest recorded rate since 2006/07. 

Maternity and Neonatal Discharges

 The publication Births in Scotland (year ending 31st March 2023) is based on maternity data (SMR02) and neonatal discharges (Scottish Birth Record) collected by PHS. This publication was revised in 2017 and no longer includes detailed information on drug use during pregnancy. However, equivalent data for 2011/12 to 2022/23 have been provided by the PHS Pregnancy, Birth and Child Health team (Tables (45Kb)).

Table 4 of the Excel workbook provides information about the data quality and completeness of SMR02 data on drug use during pregnancy. Improvements in the quality and completeness of SMR02 data on drug use have been observed since 2018/19. However, the results below should be interpreted with caution as some NHS Boards continue to have high percentages of missing or unknown data and issues with the quality of the known data have also been identified.

Key points:

In 2022/23:

• Drug use was recorded in 1.8% (805) of 44,557 maternities in Scotland. This was equivalent to a rate of 18.1 maternities with drug use recorded per 1,000 maternities, an increase from 2021/22 (787, 16.7 per 1,000 maternities). The 2022/23 rate of maternities with drug use recorded was lower than in 2011/12 (19.7 per 1,000 maternities), when the highest rate in the time series provided was observed (Table 1).
• Where maternal drug use was recorded, the drugs often recorded as being used during pregnancy were cannabis (483, 10.8 per 1,000 maternities), opiates/opioids (131, 2.9 per 1,000 maternities), cocaine (119, 2.7 per 1,000 maternities) and sedatives (51, 1.1 per 1,000 maternities) (Table 1).
• Recorded rates of opiate/opioid use during pregnancy has consistently decreased over the time series from 9.7 per 1,000 maternities in 2011/12 to 2.9 per 1,000 maternities in 2022/23. Recorded rates of cocaine use more than doubled between 2016/17 (74, 1.4 per 1,000 maternities) to 2019/20 (170, 3.5 per 1,000 maternities), but have since decreased slightly. In 2022/23, rates of cannabis use (483, 10.8 per 1,000 population) were at their highest across the observed time series (Table 1).
• The rate of maternities with drug use recorded was highest in the under 20 age group (62.7 per 1,000 maternities) and lowest in the 40 and over age group (9.2 per 1,000 maternities) (Table 2).
• The rate of maternities where drug use was recorded was five times higher in the most deprived neighbourhoods in Scotland (deprivation quintile 1: 31.0 per 1,000 maternities) than in the least deprived neighbourhoods (deprivation quintile 5: 6.1 per 1,000 maternities). In 2022/23, the rate of maternities with recorded drug use in the most deprived communities (31.0 per 1,000 maternities) was the highest observed since 2011/12 (32.3 per 1,000 maternities) (Table 3).
• A total of 113 (0.3%) of 45,061 babies born in Scotland were recorded as having been affected by maternal use of drugs. This rate decreased steadily over time from 6.9 per 1,000 live births in 2011/12 to 2.5 per 1,000 live births in 2022/23 (Table 5). 

Supporting information about the data sources used and content presented in these tables can be found in the annual 'Births in Scotland' technical document and the latest ‘Data Quality Assurance Assessment of SMR02’ report.

Injecting Equipment Provision

Injecting equipment is provided free of charge across Scotland from community pharmacies and from other services, known as agencies. The purpose of this harm reduction intervention is to promote safe injecting practice and reduce the risk of blood borne virus transmission (particularly hepatitis C and HIV) amongst people who inject drugs. The following main points have been taken from Injecting Equipment Provision in Scotland 2022/23.

Key points:

In 2022/23: 

• There were 330 IEP outlets in Scotland. This was a 3% increase compared to 2021/22. 
• There were 132,447 attendances reported by IEP outlets, 9% fewer than in 2021/22 (146,137). There has been a gradual decrease in attendances each year since 2014/15 (328,329 attendances). 
• Approximately 2.3 million needles and syringes were distributed. This was 5% lower than in 2021/22 (approximately 2.5 million) and continues the decreasing trend observed over the last seven years (2015/16: approximately 4.7 million). 
• Wipes or swabs (approximately 2.1 million), foil (approximately 1.8 million) and citric acid or vitamin C (approximately 1.7 million) were the most distributed items of other injecting equipment. The numbers of foil items increased by 4% compared to the previous year, whilst fewer items of wipes or swabs, and citric acid or vitamin C were distributed than in 2021/22 (approximately 2.2 million wipes or swaps and 1.8 million citric acid or vitamin C). 
• Following the implementation of COVID-19 mitigation measures (for example, temporary changes in the availability of IEP services due to staff absence and asking service users to attend IEP services less often), an increase in the number of needles and syringes distributed per attendance was seen in 2020/21 (16.8). The number of needles and syringes distributed per attendance continued to be roughly the same in 2021/22 (16.7) and 2022/23 (17.6).

Blood Borne Viruses

Hepatitis C

In resource-rich countries, the hepatitis C virus (HCV) is mainly transmitted by the sharing of injecting equipment among People Who Inject Drugs (PWID). The annual report by Public Health Scotland Surveillance of hepatitis C in Scotland, 2023 update: progress on elimination of hepatitis C as a major public health concern, published in December 2023, presents on key progress made in tackling hepatitis C virus (HCV) prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact thereafter on HCV prevention, diagnosis and treatment services. 

Key Points:

• In 2022, there were 1,018 new diagnoses of HCV antibody-positivity in Scotland. This figure compares with 977 and 1,078 for 2020 and 2021, respectively. The 2020, 2021 and 2022 totals were the lowest recorded in the last 10 years.
• Of the newly diagnosed cases in 2022, 31% (318) resided in Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS Board area, 16% (160) in Lothian, 11% (108) in Forth Valley, 10% (106) in Lanarkshire, 8% (83) in Grampian, 6% (60) in Ayrshire and Arran, and ≤5% each in the other NHS board areas.
• Of the newly diagnosed cases in 2022, 66% (672) were male, 33% (336) female (sex was not reported 1% (10) of cases). The age groups with the highest percentages were 40-49 and 30-39 years accounting for 29% (295) and 27% (272) respectively.
• Of all people diagnosed with hepatitis C up to 2022 (47,668), Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) category was known for 84% (39,921) of individuals. Of these individuals, 49% (19,704) resided in the most deprived neighbourhoods in Scotland (SIMD quintile 1), 24% (9,579) resided in quintile 2, 13% (5,258) in quintile 3, 8% (3,306) in quintile 4 and only 5% (2,074) in the least deprived.
• As of 15 August 2023, a cumulative total of 29,374 individuals in Scotland have been diagnosed with chronic Hepatitis C, with 4,036 currently living with the condition.
• During financial years 2021/22 and 2022/23, 1,390 and 1,253 individuals commenced hepatitis C treatment, respectively. This represents the lowest annual number of HCV treatment initiates since 2015/16.

NESI

The aim of the Needle Exchange Surveillance Initiative (NESI) is to measure and monitor the prevalence of blood-borne viruses and injecting risk behaviours among people who inject drugs (PWID) in Scotland. The initiative was initially funded by the Scottish Government as part of the Hepatitis C Action Plan, which stated that efforts to prevent hepatitis C virus (HCV) in Scotland must focus on preventing transmission of the virus among PWID. HCV prevalence in NHS Boards and Alcohol & Drug Partnerships is included as one of the indicators in the ScotPHO Drugs Profiles. More recently, however, the initiative has been funded under the auspices of the Scottish Government’s Sexual Health and Blood Borne Virus Framework. NESI provides information to evaluate and better target interventions aimed at reducing the spread of infection amongst PWID. The annual NESI publication was published in August 2024, covering seven surveys at the Scotland level from 2008/09 to 2022/23 (Report  Tables).

Key points:

Demographic and drug trends:

• The average age of NESI participants has increased with each survey, from 34 years old in 2008/09 to 43 years old in 2022/23, reflecting an ageing cohort of people who inject drugs (PWID) in Scotland. In 2022/23, around four in ten participants were aged 45 or older at the time of interview. (Table 1.1).
• Cocaine injecting has increased over time, with 60% of those who had injected in the past six months reporting it in 2022/23, up from 37% in 2019/20. Heroin remains the most common drug injected in the last six months but has reached its lowest level since the surveys began (72% in 2022/23, compared with 89%-97% in previous years). Polydrug injection (injection of two or more drugs in the past six months) has increased from 12% in 2010 to 43% in 2022/23 (Table 1.2).
  In 2022/23, 11% of participants who injected drugs in the past six months used a needle/syringe that had been previously used by someone else. This was the same as in the previous year. The percentage of participants reporting sharing other injecting equipment (spoons/cookers, filters, water) in the past six months increased from 19% in 2019/20, to 25% in 2022/23 (Table 1.3).
• Among respondents who had injected in the last six months, drug consumption via other routes was highly prevalent, with 45% reporting smoking/snorting crack cocaine (up from 28% in 2019/20), 31% reporting smoking/snorting powder cocaine (up from 19% in 2019/20) and 51% reporting taking benzodiazepines orally (down from 59% in 2019/20).

Uptake of harm reduction services:

• There was an increase in buprenorphine prescribing among participants who had injected in the last six months (8% in 2022/23 had received standard buprenorphine in the last six months, compared with 4% in 2017/18 and 2019/20; 11% reported receiving long-acting buprenorphine in the last six months in 2022/23) (Table 1.4).
• The highest percentage of participants to date had received a take-home naloxone kit in the past year (69%), however only 9% were carrying naloxone with them at the time of interview (down from 21% in 2019/20) (Table 1.4).

Uptake of blood-borne virus services:

• In 2022/23, uptake of hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination had further decreased to 52%, the lowest level since the surveys began, compared with 68% to 77% in previous years (Table 1.5).
• Uptake of hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing decreased slightly to 55% in 2022/23, compared with 58% in 2019/20 (Table 1.6).
• In 2022/23, there was an increase (92%) of respondents who self-reported as HCV positive (or who self-reported as clear of HCV after therapy) received antiviral therapy for their infection, compared to 70% in 2019/20, and 50% in 2017/18 (Table 1.6).
• Between 2015/16 and 2022/23, chronic HCV prevalence among NESI participants decreased from 37% to 15%. In 2022/23, 26% of individuals with a chronic HCV infection accurately self-reported their diagnosis. This was a decrease compared to previous years (2017/18: 60% and 2019/20: 48%) (Table 1.7).
• The prevalence of HCV antibodies increased from 55% in 2019/20 to 60% in 2022/23 among all participants, and from 59% in 2019/20 to 65% in 2022/23 among people currently injecting drugs (Table 1.7).
• Uptake of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) testing remained the same at 52% in 2022/23, after increasing from 30% in 2008/09 to 52% in 2019/20 (Table 1.6).
• Between 2011/12 and 2019/20 HIV prevalence among NESI participants increased from 0.3% to 3.1% but decreased slightly to 2.1% in 2022/23. In 2022/23, 83% of individuals with an HIV infection accurately self-reported their diagnosis. This was an increase compared to the previous year (2017/18: 69% and 2019/20: 42%) (Table 1.7).

Other drug-related harms:

• In 2022/23, 25% of participants who had injected in the last six months reported experiencing a non-fatal overdose in the last year. This was a slight increase from 21% in 2019/20 and 18% in 2017/18 (Table 1.8).

Hepatitis B

In Scotland, hepatitis B infection is usually acquired in adulthood, with sexual activity and injecting drug use being the most commonly reported routes of infection. UK trends in the transmission of hepatitis B among People Who Inject Drugs (PWID) are described in the Shooting Up 2023 Report and associated data tables.

Key points:

• In Scotland, there were known to be 22 laboratory cases (provisional data) of acute hepatitis B diagnosed in 2021, approximately the same as in recent years (Table 2). 

HIV

HIV, the virus that leads to AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome), can be acquired by sharing needles, syringes or other drug injecting equipment with someone who is infected. The number of diagnoses among people who inject drugs (PWIDs) decreased following the introduction of harm reduction measures in the early 1990s, but has increased in recent years following an outbreak of HIV in Glasgow in 2015 (see HPS website section on HIV and AIDS). Additional analysis of HIV information in PWIDs has been provided by Public Health Scotland in the report HIV in Scotland update 31 December 2022 (Tables).

Key points:

• Up to 31 December 2022, a total of 6,150 HIV infections in individuals were reported in Scotland. Of these, 433 (7%) were in people who inject drugs (Table 7).
• Of the 317 new HIV cases reported in Scotland in 2022, five (2%) (including one case previously known elsewhere but newly diagnosed in Scotland) were in people who inject drugs. The annual number of diagnoses amongst people who inject drugs was smaller than for other groups at risk. The 2022 total was the lowest recorded figure over the time series since 2013 which reached a peak in 2015 when 56 cases were reported (15%) (Table 3).
• There was evidence of transmission linked to the outbreak in NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde from June 2014 to December 2020. Sexual transmission, along with unsafe injecting practices, may have also contributed to the spread of HIV infection amongst people who injected drugs during this outbreak. Of those tested in 2022, there were no diagnoses indicating a recently acquired infection.
• As of 31 December 2022, 69% (300) of people who inject drugs infected with HIV, lived in the Lothian and Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS Board areas (Table 7).

Bacterial Infections

Anthrax is an acute infectious disease caused by the bacterium bacillus anthracis and is very rare in Europe.  The source of anthrax outbreaks among PWIDs is thought to be contamination of heroin or cutting agents during production or handling of the drug. An outbreak report was produced by HPS following infections of PWIDs in Glasgow in 2009 and 2010.

Key points:

• Between December 2009 and October 2010, an outbreak of anthrax occurred among PWIDs in Scotland.  During this time period, there were 47 laboratory confirmed infections (with a further 72 probable and possible cases; 119 in total) of which 14 were fatal.  There were a further five linked cases in Germany and England in the same time period, three of which were fatal. 
• Within Scotland, cases were reported in ten out of the 14 health boards, mainly centred in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Lanarkshire and Tayside health board areas.
• Further sporadic cases continue to occur in Scotland, with four confirmed cases in 2012 and one so far in 2013.

HPS reported an outbreak of wound botulism among people who had a history of injecting drugs between December 2014 and June 2015 in Scotland. The epidemiological evidence linked the source of the contaminated heroin to Glasgow and molecular typing of clostridium botulinum type B.

A total of 40 confirmed and probable cases were recorded during the outbreak, making this the largest outbreak of wound botulism among PWID in Scotland to date. The outbreak affected PWID mainly in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (63%) and neighbouring NHS boards (Lanarkshire, Forth Valley, Fife and Ayrshire and Arran). The majority of cases were in males (68%) and the mean age among males and females was 44 years and 38 years respectively.

All cases were presented with classical symptoms of oculomotor and bulbar palsy. Symptoms ranged from mild facial weakness and blurring of vision to descending paralysis and respiratory distress. Twenty cases also suffered from at least one gastro intestinal related symptom. All cases were promptly treated with trivalent botulinum antitoxin. Surgical debridement was performed on 18 cases (45%) and all received antibiotics. The respiratory function of 22 (55%) cases deteriorated requiring them to be placed on a ventilator. There were four deaths during the outbreak with botulism considered a contributory cause in two.

The most common bacterial infections linked to PWID are infections from individual’s own bacterial flora on their skin (e.g. staphylococcus and streptococcus species). These infections are most likely to occur when people do not practice good hygiene whilst injecting. Infections from these bacteria can cause abscesses to form around injecting sites and can then be transferred to others by sharing injecting equipment. Further risks involve the transfer of bacteria normally found in the mouth into the blood of PWID. This occurs when, during the preparation of the injecting material, people crush tablets in their mouths before injecting or clean injecting sites using saliva. These practices were associated with a large outbreak of streptococcus milleri in Scotland in the early 1990s. A survey of PWID attending needle exchange sites in Scotland in 2019 and 2020 (pre COVID-19) found that 22% had experienced an abscess, sore or open wound during the past year (Shooting up, 2023, Data tables - Table 4e)

Drug-related deaths

The annual report Drug-Related Deaths in Scotland in 2023 was published by National Records of Scotland on 20 August 2024. This is an Accredited Official Statistics publication reporting on drug-related deaths registered in 2023 and earlier years, broken down by underlying cause of death, selected drugs, age and sex. It includes figures for NHS Board and Council areas (Tables 295 kb). 

Key points:

• Based on the definition used for these statistics, 1,172 drug-related deaths were registered in Scotland in 2023; an increase of 12% (121 deaths) compared to 2022 (Table 1). 

• Males accounted for 69% (805) of drug-related deaths in 2023. Drug-related deaths among males increased by 16% between 2022 (692) and 2023 (Table 4). 

• Almost two thirds of drug-related deaths were among people aged 35-54 years (757, 65%), a 15% increase since 2022 (660). People aged under 35 years and 55 years and over comprised 19% (219) and 17% (196) of drug-related deaths respectively (Table 4). The average age of people who died of a drug-related deaths has increased from 32 in 2000, to 45 in 2023. 

• In 2023, the NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde area had the highest age-adjusted rate of drug-related deaths over the 5-year period from 2019 to 2023 (33.8 per 100,000 population), followed by Ayrshire & Arran (29.4) and Lanarkshire (25.8) (Table HB4). 

• In 2023, after adjusting for age, people in the most deprived 20% of communities in Scotland (SIMD quintile 1) were 15 times more likely have a drug-related death than people in the least deprived areas (SIMD quintile 5) (53.7 compared to 3.5 deaths per 100,000 people). In the most deprived areas, the rate of drug-related deaths increased slightly from 52.4 per 1000,000 people in 2022, to 53.7 per 100,000 in 2023 (Table 9). 

• All drug-related deaths were subject to toxicology screening and pathology examination to determine which substances had been consumed prior to death and, of those, which substances were implicated in death. In a total of 222 (19%) cases, only one drug (and maybe alcohol) was thought to have been implicated in death (Table 8). 

• Of the 1,172 drug-related deaths, opiates or opioids (including heroin/morphine and methadone) were implicated in 937 (80%) deaths. Examining individual opioid drugs in 2023, methadone and heroin/morphine were implicated in, or potentially contributed to, 514 (44%) deaths and 389 (33%) of death respectively. The percentage of methadone-related deaths was roughly the same as in 2022 (45%), while the percentage of heroin/morphine deaths was lower than in 2022 (40%) (Table 3). 

• Of the 1,172 drug-related deaths in 2023, benzodiazepines (such as diazepam and etizolam) were implicated in 678 (58%) of deaths. Of these, 572 deaths (49% of all drug-related deaths) were associated with ‘street’ benzodiazepines, an increase from 2022 (505 deaths, 48%). Etizolam was implicated in 173 (15%) deaths in 2023, a decrease from 2022 (382 deaths, 36%) and 2021 (772 deaths, 58%). Bromazolam was implicated in 426 (36%) deaths, which was nearly eight times higher than the 54 (5%) deaths in 2022 - the first year it was detected in drug-related deaths (Table 3 – drugs reported). 

• . The number of cocaine-related deaths increased steadily over time from 7% (45) (of drug-related deaths in 2014 to 41% (479) of drug-related deaths in 2023 (Table 3). 

• Of the 1,172 drug-related deaths in 2023, 1,032 (88%) were classified as accidental poisoning and 87 (7%) as intentional self-poisoning. The percentages in each category were roughly stable compared to 2022 with 89% (936) of deaths reported as accidental poisoning and 7% (72) as intentional self-poisoning.  

Drug-related deaths – comparison to other countries

On 22 August 2019, National Records of Scotland (NRS) published a note comparing Scotland’s drug-related death data with those of other countries (Tables). There are two main sources of comparison:

1. Other UK countries: Data for England and Wales is taken from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) publications for 2016 and 2017 and 2018, and for Northern Ireland taken from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) publication for 2007 to 2017. Note that figures for Northern Ireland for 2018 are not yet published. NRS has assumed that the figures for 2018 will be the same as for 2017 to allow an estimate for the whole of the UK in 2018. Given that Northern Ireland contributes about 3% of all drug deaths in the UK in 2016 and 2017, it is expected that such estimates will have only a small margin of error.
2. Other European countries using the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) publications which appeared in 2018 and 2019.

• Based on the UK Drugs Strategy definition (used in NRS’s National Statistics) Scotland’s 2018 drug-related death rate (218 per million population) was 3.4 times that of the UK (63 per million population) (Table 2).
• The ONS use a ‘wide’ definition of ‘drug poisoning deaths’, that includes deaths from poisoning by drugs which are not controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act (such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and paracetamol). Under this definition Scotland’s 2018 drug-related death rate (241 per million population) was 2.8 times that of the UK (87 per million population) (Table 3).
• For comparison between European countries the EMCDDA uses a ‘drug-induced death’ definition that covers only deaths directly caused by illegal drugs in those aged 15 to 64, and the rate per million population aged 15-64. Scotland’s 2018 drug-induced death rate was 295 per million population. For Scotland in 2017 (the most recent year for which widely comparable figures were available) the drug-induced death rate was 229 per million population aged 15-64. This was higher than any other European country, the next highest being Estonia with 130 deaths per million population (Table 1).

National drug related death database (Scotland)  

The ninth report from the National Drug-Related Deaths Database (NDRDD) for Scotland, on deaths which occurred in 2019 and 2020 (and trends since 2009) was published in October 2024 (Tables ). The NDRDD was established to collect detailed information regarding the nature of drug-related deaths and the health and social circumstances of individuals who have died. This report analyses a specific cohort of drug-related deaths in Scotland on which national statistics have already been published by National Records of Scotland (NRS), providing insights into the lives of these individuals and highlighting potential areas for intervention. The 2019 and 2020 report was accompanied by a Video and Infographic summarising the main points from the publication.   

Key Points:

• The average age of people who died was 43 years old (an increase from 39 years in 2012) (Table 1c). 

• Over half (54%) of the people who died resided in the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in Scotland (Deprivation quintile 1) (Table 2a). 

• Three out of four people (76%) who had a DRD lived in their own home. Over half (63%) lived alone all of the time (Tables 3a and 4a). 

• 602 children were reported to have lost a parent or parental figure as a result of a DRD (Table 5b). 

• Around half (47%) of people who died previously experienced a near fatal overdose (Table 11a). 

• Two thirds (65%) of people (73% of those whose death was opioid-related) were in contact with a service with the potential to address their problematic drug use or deliver harm reduction interventions in the six months before death (Tables 32a and 32c). 

• Around one third (31%) of people who died had been discharged from a general acute hospital in the six months before death (Table 22a). 

•  In the six months prior to death, 52% of people who died had a medical condition recorded (respiratory illness, blood borne viruses, and epilepsy were most common) and 46% a recent psychiatric condition (depression and anxiety were most common)(Tables 14a and 16a). 

• Over one third of people (37%) were prescribed an Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST) drug (mainly methadone) at the time of death. The percentage of people who were prescribed an OST at the time of death has increased since 2012 (Table 10a). 

• Methadone was implicated in 53% of DRDs registered in Scotland - the highest number and percentage since 2012. The percentage of these deaths that occurred among people not prescribed methadone (40%) was higher than in previous years (Table 46a). 

• Around half (47%) of people who died previously experienced a near fatal overdose. 

Drug-Related Deaths among People Experiencing Homelessness

In November 2024, National Records of Scotland (NRS) published a report   Homeless Deaths 2023 relating to deaths in Scotland among people experiencing homelessness (Tables). It should be noted that NRS has designated these as Official statistics in development (formerly called experimental statistics) and urges users to take note of the limitations of these statistics. 

• There were an estimated 242 deaths of people experiencing homelessness registered in Scotland in 2023. This was similar to 2022 (244 deaths). Homeless deaths are at a higher level now compared to 2017 (164 deaths), when these statistics were first collected (Table 1). 

• Shetland Islands, Na h-Eileanan Siar, City of Edinburgh, Glasgow City and West Dunbartonshire had the highest rates of homeless deaths per million population (aged 15-74) in 2023. Due to small numbers, local authority figures can fluctuate from year to year. Small numbers of deaths can result in higher rates for areas with small populations (Table 1). 

• 79% of homeless deaths were male and 21% were female in 2023 (Table 2). 

• The average age of homeless deaths in 2023 was 46 years, following a gradual increase from 42 years in 2019 (Table 4). 

• In 2023, 41% of homeless deaths (100) were categorised as drug-related. This was an increase from 2022 - 36% (89) of deaths (Data Figure 5). 

• Estimates of homeless deaths in other parts of the UK are not comparable with those for Scotland. An article, jointly published by statistics producers across the UK explains the reasons for this is more detail. 

The role of benzodiazepines in drug-related deaths

Benzodiazepines are amongst the most widely prescribed psychotropic drugs in the world. Over the last 30 years, Scotland has had a strong relationship with the misuse of benzodiazepines; from temazepam, diazepam, and triazolam in the mid-1980s, to the NPS such as etizolam and phenazepam in the 2010s.

Reflecting their prominence within the illicit drug market in Scotland, the vast majority of drug-related death (DRD) cases since the introduction of the NDRDD in 2009 have had benzodiazepines present in post-mortem toxicology. However, benzodiazepines are often regarded by the reporting pathologist as not implicated in DRDs where they were present.

Owing to a lack of research on benzodiazepines, the national forum on DRDs commissioned work addressing why benzodiazepines are common in DRDs and what role they play in such deaths, particularly at the high doses often reported.  This 2016 Report presents the findings of a systematic review of evidence in relation to the use and misuse of benzodiazepines and highlights significant gaps in knowledge; in particular;

• The increasing availability of unregulated benzodiazepines of unknown content and quality. There are more than 30 benzodiazepine-type drugs available but only 16 are currently legislated for in the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Furthermore, the increased availability of ‘street benzos’ and emergence of benzodiazepine-type NPS has increased the complexity of substance use and related harms (self-medicating, unwitting use of more potent drugs, variability in potency and concentration and easier access to larger quantities of supply).
• The excessive use of benzodiazepine-type drugs by people self medicating with prescribed and/or illicit benzodiazepine-type drugs and the metabolic and physical effects of such ‘mega doses’. As benzodiazepine-type drugs share metabolic pathways with opioids and other drugs that are commonly found in DRDs, further study is required to analyse how ‘mega doses’ of benzodiazepines increase blood concentrations of opioid and other drug concentrations.
• Polydrug use is common among substance users with benzodiazepine-type drugs rarely found as single agents in DRDs. There is a lack of studies assessing ‘benzo burden’ and prescribing patterns in non-fatal overdoses. It is suspected that substance users in and out of treatment are at higher risk of developing multimorbidity and thus receive multiple medicines (polypharmacy). Parallel to an ageing cohort of people using illicit drugs, it is clear that the role of polydrug use and polypharmacy will continue to have an increased risk of drug-drug and drug-disease interactions and further increases the risk of adverse effects.
• The risks of short-term and long-term mental health and cognitive problems associated with routine and excessive benzodiazepine-type drug use. Although benzodiazepine-type drugs can be effective for alcohol and substance withdrawal, longer-term use is associated with greater depressive symptoms. Cognitive impairment and central nervous system (CNS) depression are well known side effects of benzodiazepine use, with higher doses being associated with increased side effects. Cognitive impairment is of concern as it may affect the substance users’ risk of ‘double dosing’.