Cole-Hamilton responds to drugs report

Responding to a new report on drugs which shows the number of drug-related hospital admissions was 10% higher between April and June 2025 than the previous quarter, while suspected drug deaths increased by 12% between June and August 2025 compared to 2024, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:

“These figures show the continuing tragedy of Scotland’s drug deaths crisis.

“My party have long called for radical action, and that’s why we fought so hard to secure additional support for new mothers and their babies born addicted to drugs, but we are not stopping there.

“We want to see safer drug consumption rooms, facilities that have a proven track record of keeping people safe, rolled out across Scotland. We also want to see naloxone kits being mapped in the same way that defibrillators are and co-located in many instances to create life stations, strategically sited in public places.

“We have a realistic plan to stop people dying and deliver the world-class drug services Scotland deserves.”