Rise in drug use deaths

23 Sep 2026 01:04 PM

Cocaine implicated in over half of deaths.

Alcohol and Drugs Minister Maree Todd has raised concerns about an ‘increasingly toxic and unpredictable drugs supply’ in Scotland and has said the government will continue to prioritise a public health response to drug deaths.

It comes as new figures from National Records of Scotland show there were 1,133 drug use deaths in 2025, an increase of 11% compared with the previous year.

Cocaine was implicated in over half of all drug use deaths in 2025 (52%, or 589 deaths), an increase of 23% compared with 2024. Nitazenes, a group of highly potent synthetic opioids , were implicated in more than one in five drug use deaths (22%, 247 deaths).

Speaking during a visit to In Cahootz, an initiative in Glasgow which supports people affected by substance use through creative activities and building community connections, Ms Todd said:

"My heartfelt condolences go out to everyone who has lost a loved one to drug use. Each and every death is a tragedy, and even more so because every life lost to drug harms is preventable.  

“Against an increasingly toxic and unpredictable drugs supply, this rise is deeply concerning and unacceptable.  The increase in deaths involving cocaine, and the continued threat from dangerous synthetic opioids like nitazenes, must drive more coordinated action across the country.

“We have taken important steps forward, including funding more than 1,100 residential rehabilitation placements last year and widening access to treatment and life-saving naloxone. However, despite these policy interventions, and the actions of our valued frontline workers, it is clear we need to do much more to reduce this tragic loss of life.

“Our new Alcohol and Drugs Strategic Plan will strengthen surveillance, deepen links between treatment, housing and other services, and target support at the communities most at risk. I have also announced today that Scotland's first local drug-checking service will open in Glasgow this October - building on the UK's first safer drug consumption facility.  

“Whilst we are using every lever available through our devolved powers, it is clearly now vital that the UK Government work with us to transfer the greater powers over drugs policy that we require to treat drug harms fully as a public health issue.”

In Cahootz Creative Director Kate Black said:

“The National Mission funding has allowed us to expand the range of activities available through our Creative Citizens Project. Taking part in creative activities can increase confidence and give people a sense of purpose and belonging. Building connections and becoming an active part of a community can play an important role in recovery. Our project helps people develop those connections and supports them to build a better quality of life.”

Background

As the Scottish Government has set out to the UK Government on a number of occasions, the reserved Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 limits Scotland’s ability to take further evidence-based action to reduce drug deaths, which is why the Scottish Government continues to call for greater powers over drug policy. 

View the Drug Deaths in Scotland 2025 statistics and read the National Records of Scotland (NRS) news release. More details on how NRS defines drug use deaths can be found in their blog post.
Evaluation of the Scottish Government Residential Rehabilitation programme: Synthesis report - Publications - Public Health Scotland

National naloxone programme Scotland - Quarterly monitoring bulletin January to March (Q4) 2025/26

In Cahootz is one of more than 300 grassroots projects funded by the Scottish Government through the Corra Foundation.