You are in: Home › News › 2008 › Drug Related Deaths in Scotland in 2007 ›

Drug-Related Deaths in Scotland in 2007

The Registrar General for Scotland today published a short paper analysing the number of drug-related deaths in Scotland.

The publication "Drug Related Deaths in Scotland in 2007" can be viewed on this website.

The key points are:

• There were 455 drug-related deaths in 2007, 34 (8 per cent) more than in 2006 and 231 (103 per cent) more than in 1997.
• The number of drug-related deaths rose in eight of the past ten years: the long-term trend seems steadily upwards.
• Of the 455 drug-related deaths in 2007:
  • heroin and/or morphine were involved in 289 (64 per cent);
  • methadone was involved in 114 (25 per cent);
  • diazepam was involved in 79 (17 per cent);
  • cocaine was involved in 47 deaths; and
  • the presence of alcohol was mentioned in 157 cases. 
• 86 per cent of the deaths were of men.
• A third of drug-related deaths were of 25-34 year olds; a further third were of 35-44 year olds.
• The Greater Glasgow & Clyde Health Board area accounted for 35 per cent of the deaths, Lothian for 12 per cent, Lanarkshire for 11 per cent and Grampian for 10 per cent.
• Comparing the annual average for 2003-2007 with the annual average for 1996-2000 (in order to reduce the effect on the figures of any year-to-year fluctuations):
  •  there were marked rises in deaths involving heroin and/or morphine, cocaine and alcohol,   and a marked fall in deaths involving temazepam;
  •  male deaths increased faster than female deaths;
  •  numbers rose faster for 35-44 year olds and for people aged 45 and over than for 25-34 year olds; there was a fall in deaths of people aged under 25;
  •  the Health Board areas with the largest increases in the number of drug-related deaths were Greater Glasgow & Clyde, Lanarkshire, Forth Valley and Ayrshire and Arran.

media enquiries for this news release.