Over 600 children in Scotland lost a parent to drugs in one year

A new report reveals over 600 children lost a parent or guardian from drug related deaths in Scotland in 2020.

In its report, Public Health Scotland examined official statistics from 2019 and 2020. Scotland has the highest drug fatality rate in Europe.

Scottish Health Secretary Neil Gray expressed his condolences to those affected and assured them, “we will continue to do all we can to reduce harm and deaths caused by drugs”.

’National scandal’

Scottish Labour’s deputy leader Jackie Baillie said: “This devastating report lays bare the toll Scotland’s drug deaths crisis is taking on families and communities across Scotland.

“Hundreds of children have lost a parent needlessly, and the most deprived communities have once again paid the harshest price for government failure.”

Alex Cole-Hamilton, the Scottish Liberal Democrat leader, stated: “Scotland’s drug deaths crisis is bringing untold suffering for families and communities across the country. Deaths have more than doubled over the last decade; it is a public health emergency that remains the worst in Europe.”

Conservative MSP Annie Wells said: “This heartbreaking report exposes how drug deaths continue to be Scotland’s national scandal under the SNP.”

Harm reduction

Neil Gray responded to the news by doubling down on the SNP’s drugs policy, which includes harm reduction methods such as Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST).

Over one third of the people who died (37%) were prescribed an OST drug at the time of death.

The report states that “the high prevalence of specialist drug treatment contact and OST prescribing prior to death also raises questions about the role of treatment interventions in protecting against adverse health outcomes”.