ACT NOW OVER DRUG DEATHS

SNP accused of 'failing to get grip' on crisis

- CHRIS MCCALL

SNP ministers have been urged to take immediate action after shock figures found suspected drug deaths in Scotland have risen by eight percent in the last three months.

Official data - drawn from reports by police officers attending the scenes of death estimated there were 320 suspected fatalities involving drugs in the first three months of 2024.

That represented a rise of 23 compared with October to December last year. A total of 1219 deaths were believed to be drug-related between March 2023 and March this year.

Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour's health spokeswoman, said: "These statistics tell a heartbreaking story of lives lost, bereaved families and devastated communities.

"Despite years of promises, the SNP has utterly failed to get to grips with this crisis - shockingly, the data shows that the number of people losing their lives to drugs is rising.