Thread by @DeanMThomson

A thread gathering together core facts about the drug deaths crisis in Scotland. Following Nicola Sturgeon’s admission that she took her “eye off the ball on drug deaths”, just how big a tragedy has the SNP presided over?

#SP21 #Holyrood2021
(1/10)

Fact 1:

Scotland has the more drug deaths per capita than any other European country.
(2/10)

Fact Two:

Benzodiazepines are becoming used as a way for high-risk opioid users to self-medicate or increase the effects of their heroin or methadone addictions.

The situation grows worse.
(3/10)

Fact Three:

Glasgow City is particularly badly hit by drug deaths. And Benzodiazepines are a massive killer compared to other drugs.
(4/10)

Fact Four:

‘Street benzos’ are sold for as little as 50p a pill.

There has been a massive increase in use of non-prescribed benzodiazepines.
(5/10)

Fact Five:

“There is now an ageing population of drug addicts, mainly men, who have been using heroin for decades.”
(6/10)

Fact Six:

This is an urban crisis.

➡️ Dundee City Council drug death rate is an ave of 0.36 per 1,000 of pop over past five years. This is worst in all Scotland

➡️ Glasgow City is second worst at 0.35.
(7/10)

Fact Seven:

Scotland’s drug-related death toll more than 3.5 times the rate for whole UK.

“Scotland’s drug-related death rate as 231 per million people and estimated the rate for the whole of the UK to be 64 drug-related deaths per million.”
(8/10)

Fact Eight:

SNP now themselves freely admit their cuts have hit drug services amid the spiriting deaths crisis in Glasgow.

There have been cumulative cuts of £40m over five years which have “negatively impacted on provision & capacity of essential addiction services.”
(9/10)

Sources:

‘Experts condemn public health emergency as national tragedy & disgrace’
amp.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/d…

‘Scotland's drug death crisis in six charts’
bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-sc…

‘SNP admit cuts have hit drug services amid deaths crisis in Glasgow’
glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/18200346.…
(10/10)

➡️Looking beyond the drug deaths crisis:

My latest article doing a deep dive on worsening individual health outcomes. While the SNP has prioritised flags and constitutional politics, Scotland’s health suffers.
thinkscotland.org/thinkpolitics/…