Drug deaths in Scotland

[D-S]

Sorry, didn't want to post this in Random Irritations as it might trivialise a serious issue.

Just saw these numbers on the BBC website. Quite staggering and, unless I have been unaware, very under reported South of the border.

 

[CliveW]

How can Scotland be 248, yet Great Britain is 88?

 

[srixon 1]

How can Scotland be 248, yet Great Britain is 88?

Probably the same reason that whoever wrote this cannot spell deaths.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

This was on the radio at 5am this morning. The Great Britain is England, Wales and NI.

 

[CliveW]

The actual number of deaths from drugs in Scotland last year was 1,051 down 279 from the previous year and the lowest in five years. Still too many.

 

[D-S]

The actual number of deaths from drugs in Scotland last year was 1,051 down 279 from the previous year and the lowest in five years. Still too many.

The numbers above are deaths per million to give a sensible comparison - whichever way you cut it, it’s a shocking number.

 

[Backache]

How can Scotland be 248, yet Great Britain is 88?

It's deaths per million and Scotland is roughly 10% of the UK population.

 

[Slab]

Leaving aside the 4-5 year timespan variance of comparable data (that just happened to include pandemic lockdowns impacting mental health etc more than a tad)

Staggeringly bad but not really suited to a comparable ‘league’ table presentation

Even if data was at same time, does it mean Scotland has more drug users who missuse/overdose or is there far more lower quality drugs available. I have no idea what causes the death in the numbers or is it sufficient for the authors narrative/motive just to say 'Scotland = higher drug deaths...'

 

[D-S]

Leaving aside the 4-5 year timespan variance of comparable data (that just happened to include pandemic lockdowns impacting mental health etc more than a tad)

Staggeringly bad but not really suited to a comparable ‘league’ table presentation

Even if data was at same time, does it mean Scotland has more drug users who missuse/overdose or is there far more lower quality drugs available. I have no idea what causes the death in the numbers or is it sufficient for the authors narrative/motive just to say 'Scotland = higher drug deaths...'

It is part of a 'good news' sort that the level has fallen.

Scottish drug deaths drop to lowest level for five years

Annual figures show a drop in drug deaths but Scotland continues to have the worst rate in Europe.

www.bbc.co.uk

My point was merely that this was an issue that I felt, perhaps in ignorance, that has not hit the headlines as much as it should -if it was the UK as a whole it would be more front and centre.

 

[Slab]

It is part of a 'good news' sort that the level has fallen.

Scottish drug deaths drop to lowest level for five years

Annual figures show a drop in drug deaths but Scotland continues to have the worst rate in Europe.

www.bbc.co.uk

My point was merely that this was an issue that I felt, perhaps in ignorance, that has not hit the headlines as much as it should -if it was the UK as a whole it would be more front and centre.

They probably should've just reported it that way, by pretty much misrepresenting the numbers it devalues the whole dataset, shame

 

[Lord Tyrion]

It is part of a 'good news' sort that the level has fallen.

Scottish drug deaths drop to lowest level for five years

Annual figures show a drop in drug deaths but Scotland continues to have the worst rate in Europe.

www.bbc.co.uk

My point was merely that this was an issue that I felt, perhaps in ignorance, that has not hit the headlines as much as it should -if it was the UK as a whole it would be more front and centre.

It was on the 10 o'clock news last night. They compared Scotland to Portugal, which has a very low rate and I think has decriminalised a lot of drug use. Interesting stuff.

I agree, if it was across the country it would have been bigger news but high drug use in Scotland is not new and I guess it does not surprise anymore, sadly. Shock, yes, surprise, no. I'd expect it was bigger news in the Scottish media.

 

[backwoodsman]

The data presented on the news last night seemed to suggest that (broadly) the problem gets worse as you go northwards through the country. And given that drug use/misuse is related to socio-economic factors, I think that tells us something about the socio-economic balance across the nation. Buts that's probably too political...

 

[nickjdavis]

Interesting that the majority of countries are North Western European....i.e. the UK, Ireland and the Scandinavian/Baltic region.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

This was on the radio at 5am this morning. The Great Britain is England, Wales and NI.

Howzat.

 

[Swango1980]

This was on the radio at 5am this morning. The Great Britain is England, Wales and NI.

Pretty poor labelling, considering Great Britain is the main island that includes England, Scotland and Wales. They just decided to redefine it? Perhaps UK (excluding Scotland), or even Rest of UK would have been better.

Anyway, I guess that means the film Trainspotting was an accurate representation of the Scottish?

 

[IanM]

The Scottish stats were sufficiently worrying/out of step to be reported separately.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

The Scottish stats were sufficiently worrying/out of step to be reported separately.

The Scottish Government record drug deaths differently to the rUK
ie an overdose of paracetamol is recorded as a drugs death in Scotland but not in the rUK.
Alters things slightly but the overall figures are still uncomfortably high.
If Scotland had it's own drugs policy I am certain that things would improve quite quickly.

 

[IanM]

What I've been able to find unanimously states that the recording differences makes little difference to the position. (Make of that what you will)

I didn't realise drugs policy wasn't devolved. Maybe that's treated as CJS rather than health??

I've just read a Sct Gov policy document that would worry me about it's impact on deaths...

 

[D-S]

What I've been able to find unanimously states that the recording differences makes little difference to the position. (Make of that what you will)

I didn't realise drugs policy wasn't devolved. Maybe that's treated as CJS rather than health??

I've just read a Sct Gov policy document that would worry me about it's impact on deaths...

I would assume if they (the Scottish Parliamen) chose, let’s say, to legalise a series of currently illegal drugs then the impact on the rest of a borderless UK would be huge. Seems the sort of issue that requires consensus.

However, a common policy seems to be delivering vastly different outcomes across different countries.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

I would assume if they (the Scottish Parliamen) chose, let’s say, to legalise a series of currently illegal drugs then the impact on the rest of a borderless UK would be huge. Seems the sort of issue that requires consensus.

However, a common policy seems to be delivering vastly different outcomes across different countries.

Try turning that solution on it's head.
Consensus is clearly not working.