Rising drug deaths show need for new public health approach
New figures showing that 1,146 suspected drug deaths were recorded in Scotland in 2025, up 8% on 2024, have prompted renewed calls from the Scottish Greens for urgent action on prevention, treatment and harm reduction, following a downward trend in 2024, the rolling 12-month total increased during 2025.
Scottish Greens Co-leader, Gillian Mackay MSP said:
“Every one of these deaths is a human tragedy. They were real people, with families, friends and communities who loved them and who are now left to carry that loss.
“These figures must be a major wake-up call. They show that Scotland’s drugs crisis is far from over, and that we need urgent action rooted in public health, compassion and prevention.
“People who use drugs are among the most marginalised in our society, and far too often they are pushed further away from help by an outdated legal framework that simply does not work.
“The Scottish Greens believe we need a different approach, one that treats drug use as a health issue, supports people with individualised medical, psychological and social care, and focuses on reducing harm and saving lives."
Gillian added:
“We urgently need to address the root causes that drive drug use in the first place, including poverty, trauma, poor mental health and isolation. We also need to make sure that people can access the support they need, when they need it, without stigma, fear or criminalisation.
“We urgently need a serious expansion of harm reduction and treatment services, including safe consumption facilities where public drug use is a clear issue. Wider access to drug checking, heroin assisted treatment and stabilisation services are needed and far greater investment in joined-up support that meets people’s medical, psychological and social needs.
“Working to reduce the criminalisation of people who use drugs and divert them towards care and support rather than punishment must be the priority. We should also make training on carrying and administering medicine, like Naloxone, far more widely available to the public. We should be making training like this standard across workplaces and public buildings, because in an emergency it could mean the difference between life and death.
“In the long term, Scotland needs the powers to take a genuinely modern public health approach to drugs, including decriminalisation and legal regulation, so that we can reduce harm, save lives and take control of the drugs market away from organised criminals.”
“That means expanding the range and availability of prevention, treatment and harm reduction services, backing approaches that are based on evidence, and ensuring that people are met with care and dignity rather than punishment.
“Unless we see serious action from all levels of government, including cooperation between Holyrood and Westminster by updating outdated, broken laws that still shape drug policy - more lives will be needlessly lost.”