New data released by National Records of Scotland (NRS) on Wednesday shows a sharp rise in Scottish drug deaths, with 1,133 drug-related fatalities recorded in 2025. This represents an 11% increase from the previous year, with 116 more deaths.
A new type of powerful synthetic opioid, nitazenes, has contributed to this increase. The presence of nitazenes in drug-related deaths rose by more than 200%, from 76 deaths in 2024 to 247 in 2025. These synthetic opioids are created in illegal laboratories and can be significantly stronger than traditional opiates.
Opiates and opioids remain the most deadly drug types, implicated in 78% of all deaths. Maree Todd, the minister for mental wellbeing, public health, sport, alcohol and drugs, stated that an “increasingly toxic and unpredictable drugs supply” requires “more coordinated action across the country”.
The charity Scottish Drugs Forum (SDF) noted that the increase reflects various factors, including an unpredictable drug supply, poverty, trauma, deprivation, housing insecurity, and mental health inequality. Drug-related deaths were found to be 15 times higher in Scotland’s most deprived areas.
The Scottish government announced that a new drug-checking service will open early next month in Glasgow, allowing users to submit drugs for rapid testing and receive harm reduction advice. Similar services have been approved for Aberdeen and Dundee, with another expected in Edinburgh.