Drug deaths rise in Inverclyde despite drop across Scotland

Twenty nine drug-related deaths were recorded in Inverclyde in 2022, with opioids and benzodiazepines being the substances most commonly involved.

Figures published by National Records of Scotland (NRS) show the total number of drug misuse deaths in Inverclyde rose by 13 in 2022, up markedly from 16 the previous year.

The increase stands in stark contrast to many other local authorities across the country who saw their totals fall, resulting in 279 fewer deaths being recorded nationally than in 2021.

Elected officials and representatives from local drug treatment facilities today outlined the steps they believe should be taken to tackle the crisis locally.

Inverclyde MP Ronnie Cowan has today called for a ‘completely new approach’ to dealing with the issue.

He said: “Every death associated with drug use is a tragedy.

"Last year we saw new hope as the number of deaths in Inverclyde halved, and now we see a big increase, which is incredibly distressing.

"These are individual tragedies and the effect on families is devastating.

"My office is trying to understand how Inverclyde can show such extreme variance year on year and will be engaging with all partners urgently.

"The Scottish Government has been calling for new measures to reduce the deaths.

"We need a completely new approach.”

Mr Cowan recently contacted the Home Office regarding the possible introduction of drug consumption rooms and the decriminalisation of drugs for personal use, but was rebuffed by the government.

He said: "We need to push harder to acknowledge that addiction is a health problem and that these measures are required.

"Scotland is investing in more residential rehabilitation beds and I have visited both Jericho House and The Haven lately to thank them for the magnificent job they do in Inverclyde.

"The NRS report shows that people living in the most deprived areas are 16 times more likely to die from drugs misuse than people living in the least deprived areas.

“We need both drug policy reform and stronger measures to target poverty."

Michael Trail, project manager at Greenock’s abstinence-based rehabilitation facility Jericho House, told the Telegraph that strengthening links between the council, the NHS and groups like his would be key to reducing the number of lives lost.

He said: “Every single one of these deaths is a tragedy and it’s an avoidable tragedy, every single one.

“The key is in partnership working and that has progressed significantly, there was slow progress over the first seven or eight years of the local Alcohol and Drugs Partnership being put together and we’ve still got loads of work to do.

“For the first time there is a pathway put in place but actually putting that into practice needs more work.

“The reason that we’re such a successful service is that we treat the underlying trauma and underlying adverse childhood experiences that people are medicating, so there’s no need to medicate them when they leave.

“We’re going in the right direction and everybody involved has the will to prevent these avoidable deaths, but although there’s progress been made in the collaborative working, there’s a long way to go.”

Councillor Robert Moran, who is chair of the Inverclyde Integration Joint Board, which brings together the council and the local health board, pledged that the council would redouble efforts to deal with local drug deaths.

He said: “Quite honestly, I was really disappointed when I heard the figures because I felt we were doing quite well down here in Inverclyde.

“We’ve brought certain initiatives in which are certainly showing fruition, there are people who now have turned their life around but obviously we’re not getting to everyone.

“We’ll redouble our efforts to get people into treatment because it’s important that we can get those affected the help they require.

“The figures are bad, there’s no way to disguise that.

“If there’s anything else we can be doing or any way we can improve on what we’re doing we fully embrace that.”