According to a significant new report, users' aging is not the cause of the increase in drug-related deaths in Scotland.
Death rates rose across all age groups, according to a study of nearly 50,000 people who used opiates between 2011 and 2020.
The fact that the rate for those not receiving treatment was three and a half times higher than for those who were was also highlighted.
More treatment for heroin and morphine users is now being advocated by researchers.
They do, however, caution that the opioid agonist treatment (OAT), which involves prescribing substitutes like methadone to patients, will not be sufficient to end Scotland's overdose epidemic on its own.
To address the "national disgrace" of drug-related deaths, the Scottish government has pledged an additional £250 million.
Principal investigator on the largest study of its kind ever carried out in Scotland was Dr. Andrew McAuley of Glasgow Caledonian University.
He claimed on the BBC's Good Morning Scotland program that previous funding reductions may have contributed just as much to an increase in overdoses and fatalities among older drug users.
One of the theories put forth in relation to Scotland's overdose epidemic, according to Dr. McAuley, is the so-called ageing cohort effect.
The fact that mortality rates had risen across all groups, however, suggests that this was not the primary factor influencing trends. ".
There are no quick fixes in this situation, and we are not advocating replacing current measures with new ones, he continued.
Because the protective effect is so obvious, this study unequivocally supports the significance of drugs like methadone.
But funds ought to be allocated to the entire treatment system.
We lack initiatives like drug consumption rooms and safe supply chains, which are crucial evidence-based responses to nations with a toxic street drug supply. ".
The term "Trainspotting generation" gained popularity as a shorthand when drug overdose deaths began to rise in the middle of the 2010s.
This group of individuals had begun using drugs at a young age but were only now reaching their forties and fifties, a hangover from the 1990s.
The ever-rising rate in Scotland was thought to be caused by those deaths.
However, the frontline staff had to deal with a younger group that was following them.
The vast majority of Scotland's problem users over the past 10 years are included in the current research, which is of high quality.
It demonstrates that although people in their mid- to late-40s were more likely to experience a fatal overdose, this was not what caused the nation's record numbers.
The death rate increased for all age groups. How come, though?
A catalyst was etizolam, also referred to as street Valium. The first fatality linked to this benzodiazepine occurred in 2012, but it was an anomaly.
Since then, it has flooded Scotland's poorer neighborhoods where the study's participants mixed it with opioids and alcohol.
In each of the previous three years, it contributed to more than 750 fatalities.
Lead researcher Andy McAuley claims that it was a significant factor in an interview with BBC Scotland.
A funding cut to addiction services several years ago that he also mentioned may have made the issue worse.
According to the most recent official statistics, there were more suspected drug deaths in Scotland toward the end of 2022.
Public Health Scotland (PHS) statistics from the first nine months of last year showed a 21% decrease in the number of fatal overdoses.
But after that, the numbers started to go up, and one month saw over 100 fatalities.
According to the PHS Rapid Action Drugs Alerts and Response (Radar) quarterly report, 109 people are believed to have died from drug-related causes in November.
This was more than the corresponding months in 2021 (89) and 2020 (93).
Scotland continues to have the highest drug overdose mortality rate of any nation in Europe.
Elena Whitham, minister of state for drugs and alcohol, stated that drug-related fatalities "are still too high and every life lost is a tragedy.".
"Through our £250 million National Mission on Drugs, I'm focused on supporting those affected by problem substance use, bringing about genuine change on the ground, and putting evidence-based strategies into practice to improve and save lives," she continued.
Additionally, we are developing a pilot program to deliver drug-checking facilities and safer drug consumption facilities. ".
The research, according to Sue Webber MSP, the Scottish Conservatives' point person on drugs, "sheds light on Scotland's appalling drugs-death epidemic, which has spiraled out of control on the SNP's watch.".
The statistic that shows the stark disparity in mortality rates between users who receive treatment for their dependency and those who do not, she continued, "is the one that stands out from it.
The SNP government is failing vulnerable Scots by failing to provide access to treatment programs, which can literally save the lives of those with addiction problems.
