EAST Renfrewshire had the lowest drug deaths in Scotland last year according to the latest report.
There were seven deaths in the local authority area, an increase of one from six deaths in 2021 and down from the highest total recorded, which was 11 in 2018.
It was the lowest rate in Scotland at 9.5 deaths per 100,000 population.
The National Records of Scotland, which compiled the figures, said that deaths were higher in the most deprived areas and lowest in the least deprived.
Glasgow City and Dundee City had the highest rates of drug misuse deaths over the last five years while East Renfrewshire and Aberdeenshire had the lowest rates.
Julie Ramsay, head of demographic statistics at National Records of Scotland, said: “Those living in the most deprived areas of Scotland are almost 16 times as likely to die from drug misuse compared to people living in the least deprived areas.”
The official figures show a reduction across Scotland of 279, down to 1051 deaths from 1330 the year before.
Elena Whitham, Scottish Government drug policy minister, said: “While I am pleased to see that hundreds of families have been spared this agony and lives have been saved, every life lost is a tragedy and the number of deaths is still too high."
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