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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Eve Livingston Scotland correspondent

New powerful synthetic opioids behind sharp rise in Scottish drug deaths

Opioids Scotland Maree Todd SDF
Pills, a syringe and a spoon
Opiates and opioids, which include drugs such as heroin, remain the most deadly drug types, implicated in 78% of all deaths in Scotland last year. Photograph: Paul Faith/PA

New forms of a powerful synthetic opioid have contributed to a sharp rise in Scottish drug deaths, with the latest data showing an 11% increase in fatalities last year

Annual figures released by National Records of Scotland (NRS) on Wednesday recorded 1,133 drug-related deaths in 2025, 116 more than the previous year. The 2025 figures are the sixth highest on record.

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