National shame of drugs deaths must end - Ian Murray

National Records of Scotland data for 2023 has revealed a 12 per cent rise in drugs deaths

Figures published this week confirmed that our country remains tightly in the grip of a devastating drug crisis, with 1172 people tragically losing their lives to drug misuse in 2023, a 12 per cent increase from the previous year

These figures are more than just statistics—they are sons and daughters, mothers and fathers devastated by loss.

The rate of drug misuse deaths in Scotland is now 4.2 times higher than it was in 2000 and the consequences are being felt most acutely in the country’s most vulnerable communities.

Secretary of State for Scotland, Ian Murray MP

One of the most alarming aspects of this crisis is the stark inequality in drug death rates across Scotland. In the most deprived areas, residents are more than 15 times as likely to die from drug misuse compared to those in more affluent communities. Here in Edinburgh, we are all too familiar with affluence and poverty living cheek by jowl.

Edinburgh, like Glasgow and especially Dundee, has seen the devastating impact of drug misuse, particularly among men who are twice as likely as women to die from drug-related causes. In Edinburgh 78 of those 111 deaths were men.

What is horrifying about the Edinburgh figures is the city is below average compared to other parts of the country. In Glasgow 246 poor souls lost their lives to drug misuse last year.

This is a national scandal, and this crisis has been allowed to fester, leaving communities across the capital and the entire country to pick up the pieces.

In 2022, Scotland’s drug death rate was more than double that of other UK countries and nearly three times higher than in England.

Scottish Labour has consistently called for a comprehensive approach to tackling drug deaths. The latest figures only reinforce the urgency of these demands. Scotland needs change. These families need change. This national shame must end.

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Scotland saw a different type of change this week, as the SNP government confirmed it was scrapping the off-peak all-day fares on our railways.

That means the cost of a peak time return between Glasgow and Edinburgh will be £31.40.

I’ll save any jokes about the best thing about Glasgow being the train to Edinburgh – connecting our two biggest cities should be a key driver of growth for our country, and the expansion of the commuter belt around Edinburgh means people are going to be hit in the pocket for trying to get into work.

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I was delighted to see my colleague in the Scotland Office, Minister Kirsty McNeil welcome 19 Afghan women to Scotland and Queen Elizabeth House in Edinburgh this week. The Scotland Office worked with the Scottish Government to ensure these women got out of Afghanistan and can now continue to study medicine at the five medical schools across Scotland – including Edinburgh.

These women are heroes, and this is a great example of how Scotland’s two governments can work together to benefit people at home and abroad.

Ian Murray is MP for Edinburgh South and Secretary of State for Scotland