Professor John Robertson OBA

Any fool can see from the above line graph what the trend is and despite the ups and downs, Scotland’s suspected drugs deaths are falling. From nearly 1 500 per year at the end of 2020 to just over 1 000 in the last 12 months, a 33% fall in only 5 years. The bar chart also show the usual seasonal fall from a winter peak.

From Suspected drug deaths in Scotland: July to September 2025 published yesterday:

There were 898 suspected drug deaths, 8% (65) greater than during the same period of 2024 (833).

Note that numbers of suspected drug deaths fluctuate from quarter to quarter. Care should be taken not to interpret movements between individual calendar quarters as indicative of any long-term trend.

There were 1,130 suspected drug deaths over the 12 months to September 2025, the same number as were recorded over the 12 months to September 2024.

https://www.gov.scot/publications/suspected-drug-deaths-scotland-july-september-2025/pages/3/

Despite the above clear advice on how to read the data, Chris McCall Deputy Political Editor of the Daily Record, offered:

Suspected drug deaths in Scotland jump 20% in one year as John Swinney urged to a get a grip on crisis

Labour warned the “brutal reality is that John Swinney’s approach is failing both victims and communities” when it comes to the number of Scots killed by drugs. John Swinney has been urged to get a grip of Scotland’s drugs deaths crisis after the number of suspected fatalities increased by 20 per cent in one year.

Scotland remains the drugs deaths capital of Europe despite repeated pledges from the SNP Government in recent years to increase access to rehabilitation services.

The Record has led the way in pushing the issue to the top of the political agenda after it was ignored by Holyrood.

Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour health spokeswoman, said: “It’s shocking that there has been an increase in the number of suspected drug deaths across Scotland.

This is not news it’s a Labour campaign leaflet.

Though drug deaths are falling, is there another factor which in recent years has made it more difficult to achieve?

How about this?

English County Lines drug gangs have been reported operating across a wide range of locations in Scotland, particularly targeting rural, coastal, and smaller towns where competition from established local groups is lower. There is no official public list providing an exact total number of distinct places, as operations are fluid and often involve multiple temporary bases (e.g., via “cuckooing”).However, reports from Police Scotland, media, and investigations indicate activity in at least 15-20 specific towns, cities, or broader areas, with estimates of over 50 active gangs (as of 2024) and more than 20 identified “lines” (deal phone networks) as far back as 2019. Penetration is widespread, described as reaching “every corner” of the country, including remote rural and island communities.Key reported locations include:

• Aberdeen (including city centre, Rosemount, Tillydrone, Northfield)
• Inverness (major hub in the Moray Firth area)
• Highlands (broadly, including northern and western areas)
• Highlands and Islands (explicitly targeted, with dedicated police teams)
• Fort William
• Oban
• Dumfries and Galloway
• Ayrshire (including East Ayrshire towns like Auchinleck and Cumnock)
• Perthshire (including Perth)
• Aberdeenshire (early hotspot)
• Dundee
• Edinburgh
• Dumfries
• Ross-shire and Easter Ross
• Far north (e.g., Caithness areas)
• Affluent Glasgow suburbs like Bishopbriggs, Giffnock, and Newton Mearns
• Borders towns (smaller communities)

Activity is most concentrated in the north-east, Highlands, and rural south/west, with gangs avoiding heavy confrontation in Glasgow’s west coast strongholds. Police operations (e.g., intensification weeks) regularly disrupt lines in these areas, but new ones emerge. https://x.com/i/grok?conversation=2001223188873707977