A TOTAL of 73 people in Fife died due to drugs last year.

The figures, released by the Scottish Government, revealed that 1,172 people across the country lost their lives to substance abuse in 2023.

Mid Scotland and Fife Conservative MSP Roz McCall described the statistics as "shocking and shameful".

"Behind these awful statistics are families in Fife grieving the loss of loved ones, and my thoughts are with those who are experiencing this tragedy," she said.

"Nicola Sturgeon admitted she took her eye off the ball in tackling Scotland's drug deaths crisis, and as a result, deaths have soared.

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"Drug-related deaths in Scotland continue to be far higher than in other parts of the UK and are the worst in Europe. It is unacceptable that those living in deprived communities are particularly harmed by this failure."

Ms McCall called for the Scottish Government to pass legislation to help tackle the issues.

She added: "The Right to Recovery Bill has the potential to be a game-changer for those suffering from addiction in Fife. There is no time for the SNP government to waste following these shocking statistics."

Scottish Health Secretary Neil Gray said his heartfelt condolences went out to all those affected by the loss of a loved one through drugs.

"This level of deaths remains hugely concerning and underlines why we will continue to do all we can to reduce harm and deaths caused by drugs," he said.

"Through our £250 million national mission on drugs we are taking a wide range of evidence-based measures to reduce harm and save lives.

"These include widening access to treatment and support through the implementation of our medication assisted treatment standards, increasing the availability of residential rehabilitation, supporting the opening of a safer drug consumption facility pilot, widening access to Naloxone and delivering drug-checking facilities.

“We made a record £112m available to ADPs (alcohol and drugs partnerships) in 2024-25, with Fife ADP receiving £2.4m."

He added: “Now that it is published, we are carefully considering the detail of the bill and what value it adds to the work already underway.”