The quantity of people that died from utilizing medication in Dundee has fallen by 5 in 2021 - the second such fall within the metropolis in recent times.
A complete of 52 drug-related deaths have been recorded for final yr, down from 57 in 2020, and an additional fall from a current peak of 72 in 2019. Opiates and opioids similar to heroin and methadone have been implicated in 48 out of the 52 deaths and so-called "road benzos" - benzodiazepine medication of various strengths - have been implicated in 40.
Dundee nonetheless holds the undesirable title of the medication deaths capital of Scotland - with a median of 45.2 deaths per 100,000 individuals yearly during the last 5 years, greater than twice the Scottish common and better than some other council space. Between 2000 and 2004, the common was simply 5.9 deaths per 100,000 annually.
Native drug staff have reacted with horror to the actual fact the lower has not been extra dramatic. All however one of many drug deaths have been deemed to be an unintended overdose.
Kirsty Nelson, a parish nurse who helps drug customers from town's Steeple Church, stated: "Horrific. I really haven't any phrases. When will we see the change everyone knows is required?
"My coronary heart breaks for all these households affected. Each single one in every of these was preventable."
Drug researcher Andrew McAuley stated: "Scotland's drug issues run deep, nearly each metric we have now confirms that. The drug-related demise statistics are a sobering reminder of how a lot work there's to do to show round what stays clearly a public well being emergency."
Figures on drug deaths are collected by the Nationwide Data of Scotland (NRS). Julie Ramsay, important occasions statistician, stated there was larger drug use in areas affected by poverty.
She stated: “Drug deaths have elevated considerably over the previous few a long time. There have been greater than 5 instances as many deaths in 2021 in contrast with 1996. 2021 is the primary yr since 2013 that drug misuse deaths haven't elevated.
“In 2021, after adjusting for age, individuals in essentially the most disadvantaged areas have been greater than 15 instances as more likely to have a drug misuse demise as these within the least disadvantaged areas. This ratio has widened over the previous twenty years.”
The figures come a day after a road artist drew consideration to Dundee's medication plight with a brand new mural within the metropolis centre. The Insurgent Bear, recognized for creating politically charged road artwork, created a picture of a William Wallace-esque man in a kilt collapsed on the street with a needle in his arm.
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The work has appeared in Bell Road automobile park, subsequent to the Tayside Drug Drawback Providers constructing.
The artist advised the PA information company it was his "touch upon Scotland having the very best drug demise price in Europe". He added: "What number of good women and men have we misplaced on account of dependancy?
"What number of potential leaders and heroes have fallen by means of the cracks on account of neglect and a scarcity of care? It could seem that Scotland has a brand new battle to battle."
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