Suspected drug deaths have remained at the same level in Tayside so far this year – but the numbers in Fife have dropped.
Data released by the Scottish Government shows that 81 suspected drug deaths were recorded in the region between January and September – the same figure as that period last year.
Seventeen of those deaths were recorded between July and September, a drop from 34 the previous three months and 30 between January and March.
In Fife, there have been 52 suspected drugs deaths so far this year, a drop from 65 in the first nine months of 2020.
In total there have been 1,007 drugs deaths across Scotland so far this year, a decrease of 4% on the same period in 2020.
It comes after a record high number of drug-related deaths were recorded in Scotland in 2020.
‘More work needed to tackle public health emergency’
MSPs Joe FitzPatrick and Shona Robison, who represent Dundee City West and Dundee City East at Holyrood, say the latest statistics show the scale of the challenge.
In a statement the politicians said: “Every one of these deaths is a tragedy and our thoughts are with the bereaved families who are grieving a loved one.”
They say they are in regularly contact with Angela Constance, the Scottish Government’s minister for drugs policy, to ensure the necessary support is in place for people in Dundee – where the drugs problem is the third-worst in Scotland.
Despite the national decline in deaths, Ms Constance says there is still much work to be done to tackle the public health emergency.
The MSP said: “Firstly, I want to extend my deepest sympathy to all those affected by the loss of a loved one through drugs.
“While there has been a slight downturn in the number of suspected drug deaths, it is still far too high, and I am clear there is much hard work and many challenges ahead if we are to truly turn the tide on this emergency.
“The £250 million we are investing in tackling this public health emergency will make a difference.
“I am working to ensure it reaches frontline services as quickly as possible and that every single penny will count as we continue to prioritise our efforts to turn this crisis around.”
Dundee City Council leader and chair of the Dundee Partnership Cllr John Alexander said: “Everyone in the Dundee Alcohol and Drug Partnership and across the wider Dundee Partnership is working hard to prevent the misery and suffering that drugs deaths bring to families in our city.
“This is a long-term approach and we are putting in place actions to make Dundee a City of Recovery for the future.”
