Renfrewshire has fifth most drug deaths in Scotland

Official statistics released today show the area's death toll increased by almost 50% in 2020, compared to the 45 fatalities recorded in 2019.

Over the past decade, the number of drug deaths in Renfrewshire has rocketed by 250%.

The area had the fifth highest total of fatalities from drugs anywhere in Scotland last year.

Only Glasgow (291), North Lanarkshire (94), Edinburgh (92) and South Lanarkshire (91) had more deaths.

Renfrewshire also had the sixth highest drug-related death rate for 2016 to 2020, at 28 per 100,000 population.

Dundee had the highest death rate at 43.1, followed by Glasgow (39.8), Inverclyde (36.7), North Lanarkshire (29.6) and East Ayrshire (28.3).

East Renfrewshire (8.8) had the lowest death rate of all council areas in Scotland for which the figures are available.

The majority of drugs deaths in Renfrewshire involved men, with 47 fatalities, compared to 20 women.

In the years from 2016 to 2020, the area's death rate from drugs was highest amongst those aged 35 to 44, followed by those in the 45-54, 25-34, 15-24 and 55-64 age brackets.

Across Scotland as a whole, 1,339 people lost their lives to drugs last year.

That figure is 5% higher than the previous year, when 1,264 people died of drug-related causes, according to the National Records of Scotland (NRS).

The country continues to have the worst drug death rate in Europe, with 21.2 deaths per 1,000 of the population – more than three-and-a-half times higher than the rest of the UK.

Opioids remained the number one cause of drug-related death in Scotland in 2020, accounting for 1,192 fatalities.

However, in a sign that more drug users are mixing substances, benzodiazepines were implicated in 974 deaths.

Deprivation also continued to be a major factor in drug deaths, with those in the poorest areas of the country 18 times more likely to die than their more affluent counterparts, the data showed.

In 2020, the death rate from drugs in the most deprived areas of Scotland was 68.2 per 100,000 of the population, compared to 3.7 in the most affluent areas.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said each death is "a human tragedy."

She added: "Today, my thoughts are with every family who has lost a loved one. I am sorry for the loss you have suffered."

Drugs minister Angela Constance described the statistics as "heart-breaking" as she announced plans to report drug deaths every quarter to inform the response to the crisis.

She said: "We are working hard to get more people into the treatment that works for them as quickly as possible.

"Without treatment, there is little hope of recovery, so we are funding as many community and third-sector initiatives as we can so that individuals have the widest possible choice and can opt for the support which suits them and their family."

In response to last year's figures, which caused then-public health minister Joe FitzPatrick to resign, the Scottish Government announced a £250million investment – £100m of which would be for the improvement of residential rehab.

Drug, alcohol and mental health charity With You has said every drug-related death is preventable.

Andrew Horne, the charity's executive director in Scotland, added: "Each death has a huge impact on families and communities, continuing to be felt years down the line.

"We have a mountain to climb to reverse these alarming figures but, with the recently strengthened commitment and decisive action now being taken, we are hopeful that change is possible.

"New investment in outreach teams for people who have had a non-fatal overdose or who have dropped out of treatment marks a significant step forward, as does the improved support for people transitioning from prison into the community.

"Changes to enable quicker access to appointments and more choice over treatment are also positive.

"These figures are stark but, with new initiatives, clear standards and high expectations of services and partnership working, they can be brought down."