Wednesday September 3rd 2025
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Stuart Sommerville
Concerns have been raised that new synthetic opioids could send this year’s drug death toll spiralling, after figures showed a fall in deaths last year.
The head of West Lothian’s Health and Social Care Partnership Alison White said “one death is too many., after 2024 figures revealed drug deaths had fallen across Scotland.
But there are early reports suggesting the figures could be worse for 2025.
The National Records for Scotland revealed that, country-wide, Nitazenes were implicated in 76 drug misuse deaths in 2024. This is more than three times the number of deaths in 2023.
Some reports said this week that data from Public Health Scotland suggested that may have doubled this year with nitazene detected in 38 deaths between April and June this year.
More localised figures have yet to be made available.
Nitazenes are a category of potent new synthetic opioids. Some are hundreds of times more potent than heroin.
In West Lothian 22 people died from drug misuse in 2024, down nine from the 2023 figure of 31.
In neighbouring council areas the numbers also fell, between 9% and 29% down on the year before. South Lanarkshire deaths fell from 71 to 64; Falkirk from 36 to 21 and North Lanarkshire from 103 to 85.
In the capital the number fell from 111 in 2023 to 92 last year.
Only East Lothian recorded an increase, of one, to 21 deaths.
Alison White, Director of the West Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership, said: “According to recently published figures by National Records of Scotland, 22 people from West Lothian lost their lives directly to drugs in 2024.
“This represents a reduction in drug deaths locally from previous years, with West Lothian below the average for both the Lothian area and Scotland as a whole.
“However, even one death is too many, as each represents an avoidable tragedy that has a huge impact on the local community. I would like to convey our deepest sympathy to all the families and friends affected..
“There are a range of services working in West Lothian alongside communities to improve our services and tackle the wider inequalities that lead to drug deaths.
“We will ensure that people can access services through an approach embedded in human rights, placing local communities at the heart of everything we do, to improve outcomes for people and families affected by problematic drug use.”
Fentanyls are another category of potent synthetic opioids. This includes fentanyl and compounds with similar chemical structures (fentanyl analogues). In 2024, fentanyls were implicated in 12 drug misuse deaths.
Methadone is the most commonly implicated opiate/opioid.
More information on support available locally: https://westlothianhscp.org.uk/article/29287/Drugs-and-or-Alcohol-How-to-get-HELP
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