Drug deaths in Scotland hit record high

[Nigel]

What do you think the answer is?

Greater investment in support services for people with mental health issues would be a decent start. Prevent substantial numbers turning to drugs to mask other issues. They talk the talk on mental illness but it would be a national emergency if physically Ill people had similar waits for say cancer treatment...

[alta-pete]

How does Glasgow compare to Liverpool, or Edinburgh to Manchester?
They're comparing 8.4% of the UK population to 84% of the UK population. Surely a more accurate breakdown would be more comprehensive? But they won't as it would clearly highlight that certain areas of England are every bit as bad.

Here you go M8. From BBC/ONS:



https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-48938509

[invergowrie arab]

3 minutes ago, Nigel said:

The largest group to die were those 35-44 I think I read earlier. It's also poly drug use that's to blame rather than just ageing heroin addicts dying

Its pretty much heroin addicts but the norm for a drug death in Dundee is about 7 different substances showing up on the tox reports and almost all on a methadone programme. 

As to your other point mental health services are important but wont do much for people currently in addiction in isolation. 

We need better mental health services but we need evidence based interventions for those in addiction today which has to include, IMO, medium term safe access to clean, predictable strength medication.

[Raidernation]

f**k, there’s a lot of ignorance (deliberate and otherwise) on display in this thread.
I understand it’s a predominantly football forum and we all spout shite at times but some of the effluent spread about here is borderline dangerous

[invergowrie arab]

If my sums are right, and there is every chance they are not. I think Glasgow and greater Clyde has about 34 deaths per 100,000. Tayside 25

This compares to 33 for Liverpool for 2014-17

Blackpool is up around 50.

[Dindeleux]

Me and a mate rattled enough mdma one night about a year ago that I'm surprised we weren't part of these statistics to be honest.

Came from Estonia, the internet is a wonderful thing.

[invergowrie arab]

9 minutes ago, Dindeleux said:

Me and a mate rattled enough mdma one night about a year ago that I'm surprised we weren't part of these statistics to be honest.

Came from Estonia, the internet is a wonderful thing.

 

[ayrmad]

47 minutes ago, alta-pete said:

Here you go M8. From BBC/ONS:



https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-48938509

The Beeb needs to get their facts right on their news outlets, they clearly said Scotland had 3 times the number of drug deaths of rUK, biased bampots.

[Dindeleux]

23 minutes ago, invergowrie arab said:

 

My jaw was like his by the end of the night.

[Cerberus]

6 hours ago, virginton said:

It very much is Westminster’s fault that long-term drug addicts from the 1980s and 90s are now popping their clogs in record numbers north of the border though. Thatcher’s neoliberal policies and wilful, mass destruction of heavy industry - without any credible state reinvestment to aid the communities affected - was a primary cause of that historic epidemic of drug abuse up and down the country.
That drug problem is AFAIK nowhere near as prevalent today but its legacy is still being borne out by today’s figures.

Up and down the entire UK.
The fact that England are clearly dealing with the fall out of the exact same situation far better than Scotland is the fault of those at Holyrood.

[Tibbermoresaint]

3 minutes ago, Cerberus said:

Up and down the entire UK.
The fact that England are clearly dealing with the fall out of the exact same situation far better than Scotland is the fault of those at Holyrood.

Dribble.

[throbber]

Me and a mate rattled enough mdma one night about a year ago that I'm surprised we weren't part of these statistics to be honest.
Came from Estonia, the internet is a wonderful thing.

[invergowrie arab]

6 hours ago, Cerberus said:

Up and down the entire UK.
The fact that England are clearly dealing with the fall out of the exact same situation far better than Scotland is the fault of those at Holyrood.

You're a fucking idiot if you think the relative unmanaged deindustrialisation and the relative effects on Scotland and England are the exact same situation.

Edited July 17, 2019 by invergowrie arab

[Benjamin_Nevis]

19 minutes ago, invergowrie arab said:

You're a fucking idiot 

You could have just stopped there tbh. 

[throbber]

Dribble.

You should have been emptied for your content last night so shut the f**k up you screwball.

[101]

Genuinely interesting work by Europol surely the way to go it help the addicts and batter the dealers and supply network. This might be harder when we leave the EU considering we might have to leave Europol and Romania's drug programme was run on EU money.

https://www.europol.europa.eu/publications-documents/how-illegal-drugs-sustain-organised-crime-in-eu

Edited July 17, 2019 by Adam101

[D.A.F.C]

I dont know who is to blame but it's really sad. What is wrong with scottish people that makes us booze take drugs or overeat?
Dont really like this country anymore. Not proud to be scottish at all.

[parxyz]

I agree on the most part with the sentiment of regulated drug centres that should be taxed. However, like all business, there will be people undercutting at a lower quality. Important to remember that this will put dealers livelihoods on the line, and as they get more desperate, the further actions they'll take to get what they want, or to make a profit.
This unfortunately isn't a single-issue problem but one that requires a plan of major changes in many sectors of our society (education, crime, health, benefits etc).

[harry94]

1 hour ago, Adam101 said:

Genuinely interesting work by Europol surely the way to go it help the addicts and batter the dealers and supply network. This might be harder when we leave the EU considering we might have to leave Europol and Romania's drug programme was run on EU money.

https://www.europol.europa.eu/publications-documents/how-illegal-drugs-sustain-organised-crime-in-eu

I think you have raised a great point though and that is a really interesting wee document you've shared. There's a lot of fascination with treatment rooms etc over here and whilst I think that's a great thing for those already addicted to drugs, it doesn't really properly break the cycle definitively. Certainly, it's a good thing if it helps someone's own situation and is more likely to benefit on society in that way but let's be perfectly honest, the kids have still had a considerable part of their lives growing up in shitty environments and probably still are with a lot of the damage done. Unless part of our strategy is to really hammer the b*****ds who profit in this and actually limit their potential for exploitation, I don't really see how we are going to solve anything and like @parxyz points out, decriminalisation alone doesn't change the mechanisms of the underworld.

[the jambo-rocker]

The circumstances are shit and it's only getting worse, but there are times when moaning at Westminster doesn't cut the mustard for me, and this is one of them.

It's not a little bit bigger than other countries, it's fucking huge in comparison. You could argue Wales and Northern Ireland aren't exactly hotter spots than ourselves when it comes to where devolved powers starts and ends in drug regulation (although I doubt there is much), I don't see or hear egregious levels of drug deaths in comparison to other countries per capita with them.

I know it's easy to criticise without being able to offer a feasible solution because there are a lot of reasons to why this has become as bad as it is, but that does not mean that Westminster's fault or not, IMO the Scottish government should be doing better here, and sometimes pointing the finger isn't the right call, regardless of complicity.