MSP says latest drug death figures in North Lanarkshire are “shocking and shameful”

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A Lanarkshire MSP has said the latest drug death figures in North Lanarkshire are “shocking and shameful”. Meghan Gallacher’s remarks come after new statistics showed that across Scotland 1,172 people lost their lives to drugs in 2023.

This was an increase of 121 increase on the total for 2022.The Tory Central Scotland list MSP said it was seriously concerning that North Lanarkshire accounts for 31 per cent of the national increase.The Lanarkshire Live app is available to download now.

Get all the news from your area – as well as features, entertainment, sport and the latest on Lanarkshire’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic – straight to your fingertips, 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories, and allows you to customise your page to the sections that matter most to you.Head to the App Store and never miss a beat in Lanarkshire - iOS - Android The rate of drug poisoning in Scotland was 2.7 times as high as the rate in England and Northern Ireland and 2.1 times more the rate in Wales in 2022, which is the most recent year for which data is available for the whole of the UK.In North Lanarkshire a total of 103 people died as a result of drugs in 2023, a shocking 37 per cent increase on 2022 figures, with statistics also revealing that 825 people have lost their lives in this way since 2010 in the area.In neighbouring South Lanarkshire there were 71 deaths in 2023 - one higher than the previous year.Meghan says that behind the “awful” figures are families grieving the loss of loved ones and that their thoughts are with those doing so in North Lanarkshire.She also urged Holyrood parliamentarians to back the proposed Right to Recovery Bill in the Scottish Parliament.The Bill –