Drug deaths in Scotland have reached a new record level.
There were 1,339 drug deaths last year - an increase of 75 from the number the previous year – with Scotland recording the highest drug death rate of any country in Europe.
Pamela Nash, chief executive of Scotland in Union, said:
“These are devastating figures, with each death a tragedy that has left loved ones without a parent, sibling, child, friend or neighbour.
“This shameful crisis is entirely of the SNP’s making, and no desperate attempt at spin by the First Minister can hide that fact.
“For far too long the SNP has taken its eye off the ball as it obsesses over independence, and these upsetting figures must now serve as an urgent reminder for the government to focus on the devolved public health and justice systems it controls.”