One in three drug deaths is a parent

MORE than one in three people dying from drug abuse in Scotland is a parent, according to official analysis.

In one year, 273 children north of the Border lost their mother or father to drug misuse – the third highest figure in recent years.

The report also showed three-quarters of those killed by drugs in 2013 were men and most of them lived in Scotland’s more deprived communities.

David Liddell, director of the Scottish Drugs Forum, said yesterday: “Today’s report is a further illustration of the impact of problem drug use.

“The report attempts to describe the human stories behind what can sometimes seem brutal statistics.

“To lose a parent as a child is, of course, a personal tragedy and sadly this kind of traumatic event can itself be linked to poor outcomes for children, including mental health problems and substance use.”

The probe into drug deaths in 2013 was carried out by the st atistics arm of NHS Scotland.

It highlighted that the age of victims is rising, with those mid-30 or older making up 66 per cent of the deaths in 2013, compared to 50 per cent in 2009.

More children lost a parent or parental figure in 2013 than 2009 – although the total is down on 331 in 2011.

In total, in 2013 36 per cent of those killed through drug use were parents.

Matt Forde, head of child protection charity NSPCC Scotland, said: “Children who lose a parent to drug abuse need support with bereavement as well as the instability, lack of care, hindered education and development problems they may already be experiencing.”