Latestincreasebrandeda ‘publichealthemergency’

Startling stats

Drug deaths are on the up in Lanarkshire (ADPS). The Lanarkshire Drug Related Death Prevention group, which sits under the ADPS, includes a coalition of representatives of people in service and their carers, statutory agencies, third sector organisations, and volunteer groups; as well as senior staff from children’s services, community justice and social care services, health and homeless services, housing, the NHS, Police Scotland, the Scottish Ambulance Service, and the Scottish Prison Service in the statutory sector. “Each organisation and individual involved helps us to try to address more effectively the reasons behind substance use, and helps move us towards reducing the harm illicit substance use so clearly causes to our society. Improving access to services for people in Lanarkshire who suffer problems with illicit substance use is a priority for us as we know that substance use treatment works for people, if they are able to make – and maintain – contact with helping services.

“It is also important that we support the people around those affected substance abuse, whether this is the person’s immediate family and carers, or the community as a whole.”

The number of drug-related deaths in Scotland increased by six per cent, from 1187 in 2018 to 1264 in 2019, representing the highest number since records began in 1996, according to the statistics.

Nearly seven in 10 of these deaths were men, while two-thirds were aged 35-to-44.

Only Greater Glasgow and Clyde (404) saw more drug-related deaths last year than Lanarkshire.