Occasional Paper

Summary of Results Using the New Baseline

• Recent Trends
• Health Board Areas
• Age Groups and Sex
• Types of Drugs Involved

Recent trends (Table 1)

8. The number of drug-related deaths in 2000 was 292, one more than in 1999 and 48 (20 per cent) more than in 1996. Within these totals, the number of deaths of known or suspected drug addicts fell from 227 in 1999 to 220 in 2000. However, this was still about a quarter more than in 1996 (175). (Figures for 1996-2000 using the old definition are given in Annex B.)

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Health board areas (Table 2 and Table 3)

9. Of the 292 deaths in 2000, 104 (36 per cent) occurred in the Greater Glasgow Health Board area. Lothian, with 37, Grampian and Argyll & Clyde, both with 31, and Lanarkshire, with 29, had the next highest totals. Over the period 1996-2000, Table 2 shows sizeable increases in several of the health board areas in Western Scotland contrasting with decreases in Lothian and Tayside.

10. Because of the relatively small numbers involved, particularly for some health board areas, and the possibility that more complete information has been reported in recent years, care should be taken when assessing the trends shown in Table 1 and Table 2.

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Age groups and sex (Table 4)

11. Most deaths (92 per cent) were to persons aged under 45, with a quarter (25 per cent) aged under 25. Of the 24 cases aged 45 and over, only 6 were known, or suspected, to be drug-dependent. Men accounted for more than four out of five (82 per cent) of the 292 drug-related deaths in 2000.

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Types of Drug Involved (Table 5 and Table 6)

12. Table 5 and Table 6 give information on the involvement of selected drugs, either alone or, more commonly, in combination with other drugs. Since the tables record individual mentions of particular drugs they involve double counting of some deaths. It is believed that for the overwhelming majority of cases where morphine has been identified in post-mortem toxicological tests its presence is a result of heroin use. The tables therefore show a combined figure for 'heroin/morphine'.

13. In 2000, the drugs listed were known to be involved in 259 of the 292 deaths. Heroin/morphine was involved in 196 (67 per cent) of the deaths; diazepam was involved in 146 (50 per cent) of the deaths; and methadone was involved in 55 (19 per cent) of the deaths. A wide range of drug combinations was recorded. Of particular note was the fact that diazepam was also mentioned in over half (104) of the 196 deaths involving heroin/morphine. The presence of alcohol was mentioned for 123 of the 292 drug-related deaths in 2000. The blood-alcohol level was not given for all cases but, where mentioned, it was often at a relatively low level.

14. Table 5 shows that there has been marked increase in the involvement of heroin/morphine, and to a lesser extent diazepam, between 1996 and 2000. However, over the same period there has been a significant reduction in the involvement of methadone.

15. Table 6 shows some geographical differences in the reported involvement of certain drugs. For example heroin/morphine was mentioned in a much larger proportion (85 out of 104) of the deaths in Greater Glasgow than in Lothian (15 out of 37). Of the benzodiazepines, diazepam was involved in many deaths throughout Scotland but temazepam was involved mainly in the West.

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