Drug deaths toll
Deaths from drugs were the highest recorded for a decade A Perth drug carers support group has questioned drug death statistics in the region .
And Encouraging Positive Involvement Carers Support (EPICS) has also said Tayside Substance Misuse Services (TSMS) needs to provide more counselling to support abusers.
The carers support group spoke out after the PA reported last month on the number of drug deaths in Perth and Kinross in 2017 s.
The figures, from the National Records of Scotland, suggested there were 19 deaths caused by drugs in the region last year – the highest figure for a decade.
But the group say the actual figure is much higher as it only relates to deaths caused directly by drugs.
Maggie Gordon (78), from EPICS , said: “We think the statistics are way out. They are much worse.
“The deaths from drugs are not reported properly, as I know of one case of a man who died and it was put down as asphyxiation because he was choking, but he was vomiting because he’d taken drugs.
“It was actually a drug-related death but it was not recorded as that.
“They think we don’t have a drug and alcohol problem, according to the powers that be, but we do have a very big drug problem and we know it. We’ve seen it.
“Some people don’t understand what it is like having a drug addict in the family.”
Based at Fairfield Neighbourhood