Cross-Committee work on Tackling Drug Deaths and Drug Harm Session 6 Legacy Report | Scottish Parliament

Cross-Committee work on Tackling Drug Deaths and Drug Harm Session 6 Legacy Report

PDF Published: Friday 06 Mar 2026 (SJSSS062026R4)

11 Joint Meetings, 34 Witnesses, 2 Parliamentary Debates, 3 Visits

Image: Our work this session

Line chart showing drug misuse deaths from 1996 to 2024. The number of deaths rises gradually from 244 in 1996 to 584 by 2011, then increases sharply from 2014 onwards, peaking at 1,339 deaths in 2020. Deaths then decline to 1,017 between 2022 and 2024. A dashed line shows the 5-year average following a similar upward trend.

Image: Figure 1: Number of drug misuse deaths and 5-year rolling average in Scotland, 1996 to 2024

A line graph shows weekly naloxone administrations by the Scottish Ambulance Service from 2018 to 2025. Incidents rose from around 60–80 per week in 2018 to a peak of 191 in July 2019, then fluctuated between roughly 70 and 130 through 2020–21. From 2022 onward, numbers trended around 60–100 per week, with occasional spikes above 100.

Image: Figure 2: Naloxone administration incidents by the Scottish Ambulance Service in Scotland, Jan 2018 to November 2025

A line chart shows the percentage distribution of drug-related hospital admissions by substance type from 2020 to early 2025. Opioids account for the largest share throughout, starting at around 50% in 2020 and gradually declining to 37.2% by September 2025. Cannabinoids increase steadily from roughly 12–14% in 2020 to around 23–25% by 2025, while cocaine rises from about 11–13% to approximately 25–28% over the same period. Sedatives/hypnotics decline from around 23–25% in 2020 to roughly 10–13% by 2025, and admissions involving multiple/other substances have declined from 23.7% in 2020 with to 17.8% by 2025.

Image: Figure 3: Drug-related hospital admissions by drug category, July 2020 to September 2025

A line chart showing weekly counts from 2018 to early 2025, with values ranging roughly between 30 and 150. Weekly numbers fluctuate frequently with sharp peaks and dips. The moving average generally stays between 70 and 110, with noticeable rises during late 2019, mid-2021, and late 2023, and dips around early 2020, early 2022, and early 2023. Overall, the data show an oscillating pattern with no clear long-term upward or downward trend.

Image: Figure 4: Drug-related attendances at emergency departments, December 2017 to November 2025

A line chart from 2018–2025 showing the proportion of emergency-department attendances involving three drug types. Opioids fluctuate between roughly 30–40% with a slight downward trend. Cocaine shows a gradual rise from around 5% to over 15%. Cannabinoids remain low throughout, generally between 1–5%.

Image: Figure 5: Drug-related attendances at emergency departments by implicated drug, December 2017 to November 2025

MSPs visiting The Thistle safer drug consumption facility in Glasgow

Image: MSPs visiting The Thistle safer drug consumption facility in Glasgow

Last Updated: 6/3 5:06pm

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