DRUG-RELATED deaths in West Dunbartonshire increased in 2023.

It comes after a report published by the National Records of Scotland (NRS) showed that 1172 people died in the country due to drug misuse in 2023, an increase of 121 deaths compared with 2022.

West Dunbartonshire has seen the overall number of drug deaths rise from 20 to 26.

Of the people who died from drug misuse in the area in 2023, nine were female, which is an increase of three from 2022.

Male deaths also increased by three, with the final figure sitting at 17 compared to the previous 12 months.

In 2023, opiates and opioids, including heroin, morphine and methadone, were implicated in 80 per cent of all deaths across Scotland.

Donnie McGilveray, managing director of Alternatives West Dunbartonshire Community Drug Service, feels the government has to do more to address the problem.

He said: "It is disappointing the numbers are on the rise once again. There is a story behind every statistic and it is important to remember that.

"Families have lost loved ones and that can be forgotten about sometimes when the data is analysed.

"The Scottish Government are trying to get a grip on things, but more money needs to trickle down into residential rehabs.

"Some residential rehabs still have empty beds despite us being the drug-death capital of Europe.

"That isn’t right. West Dunbartonshire Drug and Alcohol Partnership has done everything it can to try to support us.

"They have spent the allocation of funds but there is a limited number of resources.

"The government also need to look at where they are spending the funding."

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Almost nine out of 10 drug misuse deaths were classified as accidental poisonings, with seven per cent classed as intentional self-poisonings.

The NRS said that drug misuse deaths are more common than they were in 2000. After adjusting for age, the rate of drug misuse deaths were 4.2 times as high in 2023 than 2000.

The average age of drug misuse deaths has also increased from 32 to 45 since 2000.

People in the most deprived areas of Scotland are more than 15 times as likely to die from drug misuse compared to people in the least deprived areas. The association of deprivation with drug misuse deaths is much greater than with other causes of death.

The NRS report also found that males are twice as likely to die a drug-related death than females and that the year-on-year rise was driven by male deaths.

You can find the full NRS report on its website.