Drug Misuse in Scotland - An overview [PDF 316KB]

Illicit drug use continues to be a problem in Scotland as it is in other parts of the UK and Europe. Issues associated with the misuse of drugs give rise to health problems, for example, the transmission of communicable diseases (Hepatitis, HIV), injecting related injuries and premature death. Other problems are more social in nature and involve, such issues as increases in acquisitive crime, prostitution, unemployment, family breakdown and homelessness. Different types of drugs are known to cause different sets of issues for users.

In providing an overview it is important to acknowledge that no single source of information can offer a comprehensive and accurate picture of drug misuse. Rather, in order to provide that overview, information has to be combined from complementary information sources.