By Lynne Stewart

DRUG-RELATED deaths in Tayside and Fife continued to rise in line with an increase throughout Scotland, with heroin involved in the majority of fatalities, according to figures released yesterday.

Statistics from the Registrar General for Scotland revealed there were 356 drug-related deaths in Scotland in 2004, up 39 from 2003 but down 26 from 2002.

In the Tayside health board area, 23 people lost their lives to drugs, four more than the previous year and the highest figure since 1998.

Shockingly, heroin and morphine accounted for 70% of all drug-related deaths in Fife, while in Tayside the substances were responsible for almost 40% of all drug-related deaths.

The heroin figure for Tayside is hardly surprising after a report published earlier this year showed Dundee was the worst area in the country for misuse of heroin and valium.

That research showed 2500 drug users in Dundee—2.8% of the city’s population aged between 15 and 54—are misusing heroin and valium.

In Fife, a total of 17 people died due to heroin and morphine last year, an increase of five from 2003.

Diazepam and methadone were the next most common drugs involved, while the popularity of ecstasy would seem to have receded with three deaths from the drug in Tayside and one in Fife in 2004.

Dumfries and Galloway and Lothian were the only health board areas to record a drop.

Deputy justice minister Hugh Henry said the scale of the problem was disappointing but stressed that steps were being taken to “get lives back on track.”

He said, “We knew from information collected by police that there was likely to have been an increase in all drug- related deaths last year—but that does not make today’s confirmation any more palatable.

“The fact that police figures suggest that the rate of drug deaths this year might have fallen brings little comfort.

“The increase is disappointing—not because it looks bad on a graph but because it represents the scale of human misery and loss we need to work together to reduce.

“Every life lost to drugs is a tragic waste. I know that sometimes there is a lack of sympathy for the plight of drug addicts,” said Mr Henry.

“But we will never forget our obligation to help save lives, to provide pathways into effective treatment, and to help get lives back on track.

“That is why later this year I will publish an action plan based on the recommendations that came out of the recently published investigation into drug-related deaths.”

Mr Henry emphasised that work is already under way to cut the number of people affected by drugs, including:

* Funding a first aid project to train drug users, their families/friends and service providers in first aid techniques and also raise awareness of the key issues related to overdose.

* Developing a DVD which will demonstrate the recovery position and raise awareness of dangers of overdose, for drug users and their families and friends.

* Providing funding of £350,000 to the Royal College of General Practitioners to train GPs on drug misuse management.

* A Know the Score awareness campaign about the dangers of heroin is running at the moment.