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Glasgow Live
Glasgow Live
National
Conor Riordan & Gary Armstrong

Glasgow area drug deaths highest in a decade as Scotland records worst rate in EU

The number of people in Greater Glasgow and Clyde who tragically lost their life to drugs last year is the highest recorded in a decade.

National Records of Scotland (NRS) statistics reveal there were sadly 404 drug-related deaths in the region in 2019, an increase of 10 on 2018.

Meanwhile, drug-related deaths across Scotland have reached another all-time high with more than 1,200 fatalities in 2019, according to official statistics.

Last year saw 1,264 deaths which had a drug-related element - a higher rate than across all EU countries, and more than three times the UK as a whole.

The National Records of Scotland (NRS) figures show a 6% increase on 2018 when Scotland also recorded the highest rate across Europe.

Deaths in the Glasgow region account for almost a third of the national total.

Pete Whitehouse, director of NRS statistical services, said: "2019 saw the highest number of registered drug-related deaths in Scotland since reporting began over 20 years ago.

"The figure of 1,264 deaths is an increase of 77 on 2018."

Heroin and morphine were involved in more deaths than in any previous year - at 645 - and more than half of the total.

Methadone was involved in 560 fatalities, benzodiazepines of any form - street and prescription - in 999, and cocaine in 365.

A total of 163 deaths were in the Lanarkshire health board area, 155 in Lothian, 118 in Tayside and 108 in Ayrshire and Arran.

Nearly 70% of the deaths were men, and more than two-thirds were aged between 35 and 54.

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