Synthetic opioids drive sharp rise in Scottish drug deaths

National Records of Scotland figures show drug-related deaths in Scotland rose 11% in 2025 to 1,133, driven by a surge in nitazene-related fatalities.

• NRS recorded 1,133 drug-related deaths in 2025, up 116 from the previous year, the sixth highest annual total on record.
• Fatalities involving nitazenes, synthetic opioids produced in illegal laboratories, rose from 76 deaths in 2024 to 247 in 2025.
• Minister Maree Todd said an "increasingly toxic and unpredictable drugs supply" required more coordinated action across the country.
• Kirsten Horsburgh of the Scottish Drugs Forum said the rise reflected factors including an unpredictable drug supply, poverty, and housing insecurity.