Scottish drug deaths stats reminder action still needed
published on 2 Sep 2025
The Salvation Army is calling for an increase in specialist support to address substance use as statistics from the National Records of Scotland show drugs were a factor in 1,017 deaths in Scotland last year.
The church and charity acknowledges an annual decrease of 13% (155 fewer deaths) but is still concerned about the number of needless deaths that continue to devastate families and communities.
The Salvation Army is calling for more to be done to increase accessibility to treatment for some of the hardest to reach populations as its figures show 75% of its clients with substance use issues were not in treatment when they arrived during 2024 and 2025.
Since 2020/21, The Salvation Army has achieved a 43% reduction in overdose deaths across its services in Scotland. This success is rooted in trusted relationships between staff and people who use services, access to harm reduction such as life-saving naloxone, clean injecting equipment along with an approach that does not judge people.
The Salvation Army policy report titled Breaking The Cycle highlights the barriers facing people trying to access support for their substance use in Scotland. Two key issues are the lack of support at weekends or evenings along with problems getting help when people are dealing with both addiction and mental health issues.
Lee Ball, Director of Addiction at The Salvation Army, said: “These statistics are an annual painful reminder of the scale of the challenge we still face in Scotland. Better access to support for substance use outside normal working hours is essential to save lives. We must also ensure that no one is turned away from addiction support due to mental health issues or is denied access to vital mental health services because of drug and alcohol use.
“Approximately 75% of our clients with substance use issues were not in treatment when they arrived with us in 2024/25. This highlights a fundamental issue that the current system is not accessible to a high proportion of those who need it most.”
