Responding to a new report which shows there were 251 suspected drug deaths between December 2024 and February 2025, an increase of 17% from the previous quarter, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:

“Scotland’s drug deaths emergency is our national tragedy. This government should be doing everything possible to stop people dying.

“As a former youth worker with a charity that focused on parental substance use, I was pleased to secure support for a new facility for mothers and their babies born addicted to drugs. That’s key to getting people on the right path, but there is still a mountain to climb.

“Scottish Liberal Democrats would give our country the world-class drug services it deserves. From rolling out a nationwide network of safer consumption rooms to new drug checking facilities, it’s time ministers listened to those plans."

Suspected drug deaths up by 17% from previous quarter