Alcohol deaths highest in 14 years

Responding to the news that the number of people in Scotland whose death was caused by alcohol has risen again to the highest level in 14 years, with 1,276 people dying from conditions caused by alcohol in 2022 alone, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader and health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:  

“These figures are devastating and speak to lives lost and families in mourning.   

“The Scottish Government have been asleep at the wheel. In 2016, they slashed funding to drug and alcohol partnerships by more than 20%. Valuable local facilities saw services cut and expertise lost, which has since proven hard to replace.  

“Scottish Liberal Democrats would help those struggling now and protect future generations from the same suffering. My party would establish new specialist Family Drug and Alcohol Partnerships to provide wraparound services. More broadly, we would strengthen drug and alcohol partnership budgets, adopting the principle that individuals and families shouldn’t have to pay for the care and treatment of those at risk of death from drugs or alcohol.”